Skills gap is bigger threat than Brexit: Talent shortages to hit UK economic growth, warn finance chiefs September 4, 2015 Top UK finance chiefs are more unnerved by their lack of access to talented labour than they are by the threat of Britain leaving the EU, the Bank of England hiking borrowing costs or even the abrupt slowdown in China that has sent shockwaves throughout global financial markets. Fear over dwindling access to skilled [...]
EU referendum: Government to make changes regarding “purdah” rules September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is set to concede more changes to the EU referendum, this time focusing on “purdah” period rules – just a day after he bowed to pressure to change the wording of the EU referendum question. The Prime Minister has come under pressure from MPs to respect the official purdah rules. They argued [...]
Prime Minister takes another U-turn on EU referendum bill September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron has made another U-turn on the EU referendum, backing down on his initial refusal to impose a period of purdah in the run-up to an in/out vote. Cameron has come under increasing pressure from Tory backbenchers who said that “purdah” – a pre-referendum campaign period – would ensure the fairness of a [...]
EU referendum: Anti-Europeans do UK voters a disservice by obsessing about process not policy September 2, 2015 With the Rugby World Cup due to kick off in just a couple of weeks, fans are already desperate to see their teams and the world’s best players competing on the pitch. What they do not want is for the beginning of the tournament to be dominated by debate over the refereeing and rules [...]
Church of England to lead a “Christian debate” on the EU referendum September 2, 2015 The Church of England has waded into one of Britain's most contentious political issues: the European Union. In a move that surprised believers and non-believers alike, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said yesterday that the church will lead a "Christian debate" on the future of Britain's relationship with the EU. Warning that an in/out referendum could [...]
EU referendum: Change ballot wording to be fair, government told by Electoral Commission September 1, 2015 The Electoral Commission is calling on the government to change the wording of the ballot for the EU referendum in order to avoid bias. As the EU referendum bill potentially paving the way for a Brexit makes its way through parliament, the current phrasing is "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European [...]
Farage: Ukip is launching its own anti-EU campaign, but won’t seek to be the official leader of the “no” movement September 1, 2015 Ukip is gearing up to launch its own anti-EU membership campaign, but the party won't seek designation as the official leader of the "no" movement. Read more: Ukip leader Nigel Farage gets tough on Brexit: “David Cameron’s attempts at renegotiation are embarrassing” In an interview with Radio 4's Today programme, party leader Nigel Farage [...]
EU referendum: British voters don’t believe no means no August 20, 2015 British voters do not believe "no" will really mean no when it comes to the European referendum, according to a new survey. The poll, by YouGov, found 41 per cent of voters think if Britain votes to leave the European Union in a referendum, instead of leaving the bloc straight away, it's likely there would [...]
EU referendum: Would the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party make Brexit more likely? August 18, 2015 Robert Oxley, campaign director of Business for Britain, says Yes You don’t have to support Jeremy Corbyn, nor agree with his views on a range of subjects, to recognise his election would make Brexit more likely. His proposal for Labour to hold a special conference to decide its response to the EU referendum is a [...]
How European is the UK? Five charts that show how we differ from the EU in alcohol consumption, living costs and working hours August 18, 2015 It's a potent question at the moment: what does it really mean to be “European”? It turns out our living costs, alcohol consumption and general life satisfaction make the UK the sixth most European country in the EU, according to analytics firm Qlik. In a study pulling together statistics about how we live, work and [...]