Tory manifesto pledge to build 300,000 new homes a year ‘almost impossible’, say analysts Boris Johnson’s pledge at the last election to build 300,000 new home a year by the middle of this decade is now “almost impossible” due to labour and material shortages, according to industry groups. The Conservative party’s election winning 2019 manifesto included a promise to build “300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s” and that [...]
Activist who attacked Octopus Energy director expelled from Tory party conference An activist who allegedly assaulted an energy director has been expelled from the party’s conference in Manchester, the Conservative Party said this afternoon. Party officials confirmed they are working with the police after Clementine Cowton, director of external affairs at Octopus Energy Group, reportedly told a fringe event she had been “violently assaulted” while attending [...]
What do people want? Policies conceived by Dominic Cummings What do people want? Policies conceived by Dominic Cummings One of the criticisms frequently levelled at Number 10’s de facto chief of staff Dominic Cummings is that he has no ideology or long-term vision. Once Brexit is done, it is argued, he will disappear in a puff of smoke and leave Britain to stew in whatever mess he leaves behind. Beyond leaving the EU, [...]
The chancellor should deliver tax cuts, not more spending October 1, 2019 Sajid Javid used his major conference speech yesterday to announce a raft of new spending pledges. The chancellor’s focus was infrastructure and rural areas, with money promised for bus networks, roads, and the rollout of 5G. This sits alongside the strapline of this year’s Conservative party conference itself, which focuses on spending more on the [...]
Two-thirds of small businesses say government is not on their side, new poll reveals May 16, 2019 Two-thirds of small businesses do not feel the government is on their side, a new survey has revealed in a report calling for a radical shake-up of the tax system. A YouGov poll for the Centre of Policy Studies think-tank shows 62 per cent of small business owners and managers don’t believe those in power [...]
DEBATE: Will the European Research Group’s three legal tests help pass Theresa May’s Brexit deal? March 4, 2019 Will the European Research Group’s three legal tests help pass Theresa May’s Brexit deal? Olivia Utley, deputy editor at TheArticle, says YES. The three tests proposed by the European Research Group (ESG) have been rejected by the European Union. But, although they are now off the table, the very fact that they were mooted will help Theresa [...]
It’s not just parliament facing a Brexit showdown: Brussels also has a big dilemma on its hands November 16, 2018 Two months is an exceedingly long time when it comes to Brexit. But try, if you will, to cast your minds back to September and the run up to the Conservative party conference. On more than one occasion EU leaders suddenly and unexpectedly changed tone and delivered Prime Minister Theresa May a vote of confidence. [...]
This Budget balancing act was Hammond’s mission impossible October 30, 2018 As he stood up to deliver his Autumn Budget yesterday, the chancellor was to fulfil two promises which the Prime Minister had made at the Conservative party conference earlier this month: end austerity, while still reducing public debt as a share of GDP. Fulfilling these pledges will take time, and more details will be unveiled [...]
What entrepreneurs want Philip Hammond to announce in the Autumn Budget October 25, 2018 At the Conservative party conference earlier this month, chancellor Philip Hammond announced £20m of investment in business networks “to enable small businesses to learn from each other and from world-leading firms”. He also recognised the need for mentoring and management training for small and medium-sized enterprises, pledging another £11m to help 10,000 businesses by 2025, [...]
Brand Boris: Johnson needs to shed his disrupter image if he wants to become a leader October 8, 2018 There was a particularly pithy Tweet doing the rounds just after the Conservative party conference last week: “in summary: Boris’s speech not good enough for him to take over; May’s not bad enough to be kicked out”. So, was Boris Johnson really just one speech away from leadership? Possibly. Because Boris, just like Donald Trump, “has [...]