Ashcroft poll: Jim Murphy set to lose his seat to the SNP and Tories on course to lose their only seat in Scotland May 1, 2015 Billionaire peer Lord Ashcroft has released his final batch of constituency polls choc-a-bloc full of exciting results. Labour's leader in Scotland Jim Murphy would lose his East Renfrewshire seat to the SNP if today's polls were reflected on election day. However, the SNP's Kirsten Oswald leads Murphy by only three points – down from a [...]
How old do the UK’s party leaders look? Microsoft’s #HowOldRobot turns political May 1, 2015 Microsoft's latest facial recognition software is proving a hit with millions of people whiling away their day checking whether the snazzy new software can correctly guess their age (Check out #HowOldRobot on Twitter). The new tool provides great opportunity for much-desired flattery or bruised egos. As we approach the end of a long General Election [...]
General Election 2015: Andy Burnham opens path for Labour talks with the SNP despite Miliband’s no deal stance May 1, 2015 Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has confirmed that Labour would talk to the SNP to pass Labour's agenda through the House of Commons in the event of a hung parliament after the General Election. Burnham was asked on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Just pretend that Labour can't govern their own and they have a minority [...]
General Election 2015: A Labour-led government would be best for company pension deficits May 1, 2015 A labour-led government after the General Election would be best for employers struggling with pension scheme deficits, as the ensuing uncertainty would inject some upward momentum into bond yields and narrow funding gaps. Final salary pension schemes give retirees a guaranteed level of income regardless of movements in the stock market, as well as any changes [...]
Nicola Sturgeon “appalled” by Miliband and says Scotland will never forgive Labour if the Tories form a government May 1, 2015 Nicola Sturgeon has launched a stinging attack on Ed Miliband saying she is "appalled" that Labour has ruled out doing a deal with SNP if the General Election produces a hung parliament. Speaking on a special Question Time programme aired in Scotland, the First Minister said Scotland would never forgive Miliband if the Conservatives were [...]
Leaders’ Question Time special: What happened, who won, who lost, what did we learn? May 1, 2015 Three main party leaders faced an onslaught of questions and criticism from the public last night in the last big TV event of the General Election. David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg put their case to the country in front of a BBC Question Time audience in the hope of breaking the deadlock in [...]
Ed Miliband: I’d rather give up No. 10 than do SNP deal April 30, 2015 Labour leader Ed Miliband unequivocally ruled out a deal with the SNP last night, telling an audience in Leeds that he would rather give up the keys to Downing Street than team up with Nicola Sturgeon after 7 May. “If it meant we weren’t going to be in government, not doing a coalition, not doing a [...]
General Election 2015: Tungsten Corp CEO Edmund Truell wants more help for small businesses and the privatisation of NHS care provision April 30, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN: 6 DAYS TO GO Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. EDMUND TRUELL: CEO, TUNGSTEN CORP Next week’s General Election promises to be the closest we have seen for [...]
Tory backing casts doubt over Paul Walsh’s hopes to lead CBI April 30, 2015 Fresh doubt has been cast on the future of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), as a top candidate for its presidency faces renewed criticism. Paul Walsh, the former chief executive of Diageo, first raised eyebrows last month when he signed a letter in the Telegraph endorsing Tory policies. At the time, he was [...]
General Election 2015: Property experts play down ballot box fears April 30, 2015 General Elections past and present have had little effect on the UK’s commercial property market, economists at property advisory firm Colliers have claimed, arguing that investors are more pre-occupied with the timing of the first UK interest rate hike. Colliers’ economist and research director Walter Boettcher said a study of the UK’s 2001, 2005 and [...]