Labour’s Keir Starmer insists Brexit can be stopped as he defies Jeremy Corbyn November 12, 2018 Labour’s top team is once again at odds over Brexit, with frontbencher Sir Keir Starmer contradicting his leader’s claim the decision to leave the EU cannot be reversed. Speaking on Monday morning, the Shadow Brexit secretary said: “Brexit can be stopped – but the real question is what are the decisions we are going to [...]
Forget Trump, the midterms are about populism November 6, 2018 When the results of the US midterms start to come in this evening, some here in the UK will roll their eyes and think “what a crazy country”. Others will wonder why Britain and America are such anomalies with Brexit and Trump, and wish that we could be more like, say, Germany. The truth is [...]
Watchdog summons Corbyn and McConnell to meeting over misuse of statistics November 4, 2018 The staff of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell have been summoned to a meeting by the UK’s statistics watchdog over the misuse of stats. Statistics Authority chairman David Norgrove has previously written to the Labour Party over a “lack of published information on sources, assumptions and methods to support statements”. In February [...]
Corbyn’s tipping tirade lays bare his anti-business agenda November 1, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn has had another brainwave. The Labour leader wants to make it illegal for businesses to “pocket” tips and optional service charges. Some restaurants and hospitality firms currently collectivise what we add to our bills or give to waiters and waitresses. They might directly pool tips to redistribute them through a common fund system [...]
Philip Hammond chooses to splash the cash in his Budget rather than pay down the deficit October 29, 2018 Chancellor Philip Hammond declared “austerity is coming to an end” as he unveiled a raft of spending increases and tax cuts on Monday. Hammond used better-than-expected tax revenues of £12bn to pour extra cash into the NHS and bring forward by a year an increase in the 40p tax threshold to £50,000. The new level will [...]
The City helps fuel economic growth right across the country, so be wary of those who want to clip its wings October 28, 2018 One of the most pernicious elements of Labour's current economic platform is the idea that the City is entirely distinct from (and damaging to) the so-called real economy. Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell's stump speeches routinely contain attacks on predatory bankers, fat-cats and financial speculators. The labour leader also seems to have a personal vendetta against [...]
Sterling could certainly tank, but it won’t be due to Brexit October 23, 2018 Surely here’s only one way the British pound can trade in the coming months. Currency experts are anxiously fixated on what the final details for Brexit will look like. But it seems simple to me: if it’s good, it’s good – and if it’s bad, the country will soon make it better. What does this [...]
Jeremy Corbyn slaps down Emily Thornberry for using Brexit to defend John Bercow October 17, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn today slapped down one of his closest allies for using Brexit to defend under-fire Speaker John Bercow – but stopped short of calling for him to quit. On Monday, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said with Parliament set to play a key role in the Brexit process it was “absolutely not the time” for the Speaker to step [...]
The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
Theresa May and Boris Johnson were both in the shadow of Jeremy Corbyn at the Conservative conference October 3, 2018 Inevitably, Theresa May's speech was always going to be judged alongside her disastrous efforts this time last year. Twelve months ago she lost her voice and the stage fell apart, but even from that low bar her address in Birmingham was a successful outing for the PM. She also survived the alternative leader speech given by Boris [...]