Sadiq Khan: “aspiration” will be overused in Labour leadership race May 31, 2015 Sadiq Khan has criticised the way Labour politicians are looking back on Tony Blair’s time in office with “rose-tinted glasses”, claiming that the party no longer understands aspiration. The former shadow justice secretary, who resigned after the General Election in order to prepare for his candidacy for London mayor, said that some in his party [...]
Ukip’s only MP says Nigel Farage was wrong with plan to ban HIV-positive immigrants May 31, 2015 Douglas Carswell, Ukip's only MP, has criticised Nigel Farage's comments on immigrants with HIV during the General Election campaign. During the first leaders' television debate, Farage shocked many by saying that the UK should prevent immigrants with life-threatening illnesses like HIV from entering the country. Carswell avoided backing Farage's comments at the time, saying only [...]
Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis denies reports of resignation May 31, 2015 Yanis Varoufakis dismissed reports he will soon resign as finance minister as Greece scrambles to avoid defaulting on its loan repayments. Varoufakis took to Twitter to slam reports of his impending resignation as "grossly premature" and sounded weary of having to clarify his position for what he called "the umpteenth time". The possibility of a [...]
Cameron holds talks with Merkel in last stop on European tour May 29, 2015 David Cameron has held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an attempt to persuade her to back him over EU reforms. The Prime Minister talked to Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, his last destination as he blitzes European countries to gain support before the UK's EU referendum. He has urged his fellow EU leaders to [...]
Greece falls back into recession as IMF chief Christine Lagarde warns on Grexit May 29, 2015 New data published this morning has confirmed Greece plunged back into recession last quarter – just as International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde said this morning that a comprehensive deal with Greece to avoid it defaulting on loan repayments is "very unlikely… in the next few days". Read more: What happens if Greece defaults [...]
EU reform talks: David Cameron rejects status quo during European tour May 28, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron put increased pressure on European leaders yesterday to support his EU reform agenda, saying late last night that “the status quo is not good enough.”. Speaking at a joint press conference in Paris with French President Francois Hollande, Cameron said that his proposed reforms would “address the concerns of the [...]
FCA watchdog Martin Wheatley: I am not hunting for bankers’ scalps May 28, 2015 Top watchdog Martin Wheatley yesterday denied he wants to “put heads on sticks” or to go “scalp hunting” in his campaign to make banks and managers more accountable. In a firm defence of the plan to make bosses of failed banks prove they took reasonable steps to mitigate risks, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief [...]
David Cameron goes Dutch on first leg of EU reform tour: The Netherlands is a good start as the PM looks for allies May 28, 2015 “Old friends and like-minded allies” was how David Cameron described the relationship between the UK and the Netherlands when he was in The Hague yesterday, kicking off his whistle-stop tour of visits to EU leaders to build up support for the changes he wants to made to European policy. “Like-minded” has certainly been the case [...]
David Cameron blitzes Europe as efforts are intensified to renegotiate European relationship May 28, 2015 David Cameron is travelling across European countries in an attempt to intensify his lobbying of EU leaders over his plans to renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership. Read more: EU referendum details emerge as David Cameron begins tour to win reform support The Prime Minister has embarked on a two-day tour of four European [...]
Fifa arrests: Vladimir Putin backs Sepp Blatter and slams US “meddling” May 28, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of meddling in affairs beyond its jurisdiction by arresting a number of Fifa officials on charges of bribery and racketeering. In a televised statement, Putin described the arrests as "yet another blatant attempt [by the US] to extend its jurisdiction to other states" and a "clear [...]