DEBATE: Should individuals be held accountable for the failure of the Garden Bridge project? April 12, 2019 Should individuals be held accountable for the failure of the Garden Bridge project? Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, says YES. When £53.5m is spent on a project, including £43m from the public’s pocket, and there is literally nothing to show for it, some very fundamental questions have to be answered. I fundamentally [...]
Could Jacob Rees-Mogg soon be off to 11 Downing Street? April 12, 2019 The Conservative party has a shortage of the political equivalent of rock stars. These are the politicians that the public would not merely recognise (already a rather an elite cohort), but actually might cross the road to ask for an autograph – or, more usually these days, a selfie. Boris Johnson has this star quality, of course. [...]
Labour’s desire for the Bank of England to control UK house prices is disastrous and illogical April 12, 2019 The Bank of England should be responsible for boosting the UK’s productivity, according to the Labour party, which wants Threadneedle Street to dictate how banks lend money to businesses. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, Labour also wants to keep RBS nationalised in order to direct its lending; turn Post Offices into [...]
EU officials given go-ahead to negotiate with Trump on tariffs April 11, 2019 Officials from the European Union have provisionally agreed to opening formal trade talks with the US in a bid to cool an escalating spat between two of the world's largest economies. A meeting of ambassadors today gave the EU Commission clearance to negotiate with its counterparts in the US, sources told Reuters. The commission was [...]
Rail union boss threatens national shutdown following Stagecoach pensions row April 11, 2019 The boss of one of the UK's largest transport unions has threatened a national shutdown on the railways following a row over pensions that escalated after the government barred Stagecoach from bidding for three rail franchises. Yesterday Stagecoach, which runs a partnership with Richard Branson's Virgin Trains, was excluded from bidding for the East Midlands, West [...]
CBI chief calls for second Brexit referendum if MPs can’t ‘get their act together’ April 11, 2019 Another EU referendum should be held if MPs are unable to “get their act together” and sign off a Brexit deal, the president of the CBI has insisted. Speaking after the EU granted a second delay to the UK’s withdrawal from the organisation, John Allan said going back to the public could well be the [...]
Theresa May told to resign over ‘abject surrender’ of Halloween Brexit delay April 11, 2019 Theresa May was accused of an “abject surrender” and told to resign by a furious veteran Conservative MP today after she agreed to another delay to Brexit. Read more: May vows to seek 'orderly' Brexit after Halloween extension Sir Bill Cash, one of parliament’s most long-standing anti-EU MPs, urged the PM to quit as she [...]
Council blasted for ‘incompetence’ over Hammersmith Bridge closure April 11, 2019 Hammersmith and Fulham council have been criticised for an apparent lack of transparency over the Hammersmith Bridge, which has been closed indefinitely over safety concerns. The suspension bridge over the Thames was found with “critical faults” that would risk the safety of users and the council said it had “no choice” but to shut the bridge. The [...]
Theresa May vows to seek ‘orderly’ Brexit as she urges MPs to work together to strike a deal April 11, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May has called on MPs to work together to break parliament’s Brexit deadlock after the Easter break. Read more: Spooky: Why sterling refuses to rise after Halloween Brexit delay The EU handed the UK a second extension to Article 50 yesterday to take the UK up to 31 October, averting a potential [...]
Panasonic reviews plans for investment in Gigafactory battery plant with Tesla April 11, 2019 Panasonic is reviewing further investments in battery manufacturing at its Tesla Gigafactory site amid fears of declining demand for the high-performance electric cars. The move comes after local media reports stated the two companies had frozen plans to expand capacity at the Gigafactory 1 site in Nevada by a further 50 per cent. Read more: [...]