The Lib Dems deserve a bad night at the polls December 9, 2019 Conducting a post-mortem on an election campaign before the results come in is risky business. But if the polls have got it all wrong (again) and if Jeremy Corbyn concocts a way into Downing Street over the coming weekend, then analysing the state of the Liberal Democrats will be the last thing on anyone’s mind. [...]
Corbyn can’t fix your miserable commute December 3, 2019 Jeremy Corbyn is well and truly getting into the Christmas spirit — he’s making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice, Jeremy is coming to town. Momentum activists could turn that into a Christmas number one. But who’s on the Labour leader’s list? Well, he’s pretty clear about who’s been [...]
Hong Kong protesters should be welcomed December 2, 2019 What connects China’s systematic abuse of human rights with the Tory party’s commitment to a “global Britain” post-Brexit? The answer is Hong Kong. Even before the protests of recent months captured the world’s attention, China’s erosion of civil liberties in Hong Kong and its sprawling security presence meant that the rights and freedoms which the [...]
The election could redraw the country and reshape the Tories November 29, 2019 Opinion polls don’t just report the state of play, they can help fashion what comes next. The huge YouGov survey of 100,000 voters that translated into a Tory majority of 68 was unusual not just because of its scale but because it analysed every constituency. Most polls take a small national sample and use that [...]
NHS stunt reveals how desperate Labour is November 28, 2019 Labour’s unconventional relationship with the media took another couple of twists yesterday. First up, shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner failed to conceal his irritation when a reporter from ITV asked a question about Labour’s antisemitism problem. He snapped: “Do you have a question about the issue we’re discussing, or was that just an opportune moment [...]
A second referendum would come at a cost November 27, 2019 Brexit is testing traditional party loyalties almost to destruction. According to pollster Peter Kellner, the Tories could grab more than 50 seats from Labour, largely in areas where it’s been assumed that people simply don’t vote Tory. At the other end of the debate, Brexit is leading people into uncomfortable compromises. People who never thought [...]
Uber keeps giving its critics what they want November 26, 2019 The relationship between Uber and regulator Transport for London (TfL) has always appeared to be one of mutual distrust. From its earliest incarnation the ride-hailing app left plenty of feathers ruffled after breezing into London and disrupting a market that had been the preserve of black cabs and minicabs. Read more: Why did Uber lose [...]
McDonnell wields his corporate cattle prod November 20, 2019 While Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson slogged it out on TV last night, the City was still digesting the latest softly-spoken assault by Labour’s shadow chancellor. John McDonnell doesn’t fly into fits of outrage, not even when attacking the “obscene wealth” of billionaires. He appeared to unveil plans for the biggest revolution in company law [...]
Party leaders bid to charm top bosses at CBI bash November 19, 2019 The election campaign intruded on the CBI’s annual conference yesterday, making the event even more political and even less about business than it otherwise would have been. That said, the topics slotted into the agenda around the political speeches focused mostly on climate change, inequality, profit with purpose (Justin Welby was on stage for that) [...]
The City is wise to wince at McDonnell’s statism November 18, 2019 This newspaper has, in the past, given credit to John McDonnell for his honesty and for his openness with the City. We may not have welcomed his ideas, but we’ve often acknowledged that he has at least been upfront about his plans for government and has ventured into City boardrooms to explain his thinking more [...]
