‘The world of Cat TV is more cut throat than you would ever imagine’ – inside the strange business of TV… for cats
Tories complete super Thursday hat trick as Andy Street retains West Midlands mayoralty May 8, 2021 Andy Street has retained the West Midlands mayoralty, providing Boris Johnson with the perfect “Tory hat trick” of victories in the super Thursday elections. Street, a former John Lewis managing director, defeated Labour MP Liam Byrne by a larger margin of victory than in his 2016 win. The party also won landslides in the Hartlepool [...]
Andy Burnham’s re-election boosts his stature as ‘King in the North’ May 8, 2021 Andy Burnham’s re-election as the Mayor of Greater Manchester is a rare victory in Labour’s fast-crumbling “red wall” in the north. He won a second term as mayor with an increased share of the vote, on an increased turnout, from 2017. Burnham is now the most senior and successful elected Labour Party politician outside the [...]
Scotland election: SNP set for victory but majority ‘a long shot’, says Sturgeon May 7, 2021 Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) look set to cruise to another election victory, however the party is playing down its chances of getting a majority in the poll. The Scottish first minister said a majority, which the party has said would give the country a mandate for a second independence referendum, has “always been [...]
English council elections: Tories make more gains in the Red Wall May 7, 2021 The Conservatives have won control of four councils and almost 100 new seats across the country, with the party making further inroads in traditional Labour areas in local elections in the North and the Midlands. The Conservatives so far have won Harlow Council in Essex, Dudley Council in the West Midlands, Northumberland Council and Nuneaton [...]
Germany hits back at US patent waiver proposal for Covid-19 vaccines May 7, 2021 Germany has rejected the Covid-19 vaccine patent proposal today, urging that production capacity is key to boosting vaccine output. The country’s health minister said the primary challenge to increasing production volumes of vaccines is quickly and effectively transferring technology. “The main issue is not patent protection but production capacity,” Jens Spahn, said at a news [...]
Now what for Sir Keir Starmer and Labour after crushing Hartlepool defeat? May 7, 2021 Labour’s crushing defeat in the Hartlepool by-election has already sparked recriminations and finger pointing, with the party quickly descending into factional warfare. Labour left MPs have been reasonably quiet about their discontent with Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership and his attempt to moderate the party until now, however we should expect to see this change from [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP expected to emerge again as largest party in Scotland May 7, 2021 Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon’s is expected to emerge again as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament after the election, but it wants to win an overall majority of MSPs as it pushes for a second independence referendum – something polls suggest remains in the balance. Results are expected to be announced today [...]
SOX or no SOX? The focus on internal control is here to stay May 7, 2021 | City Talk The UK Government is considering whether to introduce something along the lines of SOX. Regardless of where we end up following the current consultation process, it will almost certainly not be the end of the debate on internal control. More than twenty years have passed since the corporate collapse of Enron. The response of the [...]
‘Super Thursday’ UK elections: What time will the winners be announced? May 6, 2021 Elections have been conducted across the UK today in the biggest electoral test since 2019, with results set to be announced over the next few days. The results will tell us a lot more about the mood of the country, including how much cut through Sir Keir Starmer has had with the UK electorate since [...]
G7 nations urged to boost climate funding for poor nations as Merkel says Germany made ‘fair contribution’ May 6, 2021 Germany and Britain are piling pressure on other G7 nations to boost the funding they provide for climate action in developing countries this decade. Ahead of this week’s Petersberg Climate Dialogue, climate and development experts and former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon had urged Germany to commit to doubling its public climate finance by 2025 to [...]