Retail groups call for business rates reform to save Britain’s high streets April 17, 2023 Retail and hospitality groups have called for urgent reform of business rates, which are contributing to shop closures and job losses. “Retail accounts for 5 per cent of the economy but pays more than one-fifth of business rates,” Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive, said. “The overall industry tax take is unsustainably high [...]
Labour attack ad backfires to dent own reputation, polling finds April 17, 2023 Labour’s controversial attack ad, which claimed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was failing to ensure child sexual abusers serve prison time, has damaged the party in the polls, it has emerged. The divisive online ad campaign also saw the party hit out at the Conservative’s record on the justice system and at Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty’s [...]
Labour poll lead narrows as key local elections approach April 13, 2023 Labour’s poll lead has narrowed to just 14 points up on the Conservatives – with just three weeks to go until voters cast their ballots in local elections. Pollsters at think tank More in Common (MiC) found the Conservatives were on 30 per cent with Labour on 44 per cent, the narrowest lead recorded by [...]
Labour poll lead narrows to record low in ‘blue wall’ Tory seats April 12, 2023 The Labour Party’s poll lead in a key set of ‘blue wall’ seats in southern England has narrowed to a record low, new polling data has revealed. Sir Keir Starmer’s party is leading the Conservatives by just two per cent among affluent Tory shire constituencies – a joint record low and a six point drop [...]
Thornberry defends Labour attack ad on Sunak April 8, 2023 Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry has defended a party attack ad claiming Rishi Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison. The shadow attorney general acknowledged there has been a lot of criticism, including that the social media message is “racist”, but she said the critics are “wrong”. Figures on Labour’s left have [...]
Labour steps up attack on Tories ahead of May elections April 8, 2023 Tens of thousands of offenders convicted of serious crimes have been spared jail since the Tories took office, with Labour claiming Rishi Sunak’s party is “on the side of criminals”. The figures highlighted by Labour show community punishments or suspended sentences handed to more than 16,500 adults convicted of child pornography offences and 130 cases [...]
Labour secures 40 point lead over Conservatives in London, new poll shows April 6, 2023 Labour are now seeing a 40 point lead over the Conservatives in London, YouGov pollsters have found. It’s the largest Labour lead in London since YouGov tracking began in 2010, the polling firm says. Sir Keir Starmer’s party continues to exert political dominance in the capital, with 58 per cent of the vote share, leaving [...]
Just a third of Brits say Starmer has done well on economic trust April 4, 2023 Just a third of Britons believe Sir Keir Starmer has done well at convincing people Labour can be trusted with the economy, a poll by YouGov has revealed. It comes as Labour leader Sir Keir comes to the end of his third year leading the opposition, which he marked by telling the Times newspaper he [...]
May 2023 local elections: All you need to know April 4, 2023 In just over a month, voters in some parts of the UK will be heading to the ballot box for the local elections. Polling stations will open for residents to select local councillors – in what’s often seen as a key test for the government’s popularity, particularly after the turbulence of recent months. It’s also [...]
Keir Starmer follows Rishi Sunak and publishes tax return March 23, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has published his tax returns, showing he paid £67,000 in tax over the last year. The Labour leader paid £51,547 in 2020/21 and £67,033 in 2021/22, he said, which is a total of £118,607. It came just a day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak published his own tax returns, which revealed he [...]