Fishing for hearts and minds: What the political parties should do to rebuild their tattered reputations May 15, 2015 So now the election has been won and lost, we can finally start talking about something else – or can we? The thing that interested me most about the days immediately after the campaign had ended was how swiftly the parties moved from winning votes to building bridges. The slightly tricky thing for the [...]
Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna withdraws from Labour leadership race May 15, 2015 Labour shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has withdrawn from the race for Labour leadership, he said today. In a statement posted on his Twitter account, the Streatham MP said he had "not found [the leadership race] to be a comfortable experience". "One can imagine what running for leader can be like, understand its demands and [...]
Labour made a strategic error in opposing an EU vote: It must reverse course May 14, 2015 Now that the stoor is settling, Labour might want to consider some of the blunders Ed Miliband made that helped drive voters towards the Conservatives – or even Ukip. The first is that Labour made a strategic error by not offering an in/out EU referendum. This misjudgement delivered four outcomes that Miliband could have avoided: [...]
Nigel Farage says he won’t quit as Ukip leader, despite calls to resign May 14, 2015 He resigned, he unresigned, and now some Ukip members want him to resign again. But that won't happen, Nigel Farage revealed during Question Time this evening. As leader of the party, he said the level of support shown to him was “phenomenal”, and that leaving just as David Cameron starts to negotiate Britain's EU membership [...]
Unite boss Len McCluskey says Scottish Labour made Tory victory “certain” May 14, 2015 Len McCluskey, head of the Unite Union, says it is because of Scottish Labour that the Conservatives won the General Election. Speaking to Newsnight, he said party leader Jim Murphy had “made certain” that Labour would lose, and that he should now “leave the scene”. Support for the party plunged across Scotland last week, [...]
Devolution bill: George Osborne gives English cities the option to break away from London May 14, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is giving English cities the chance to become more independent from London under a new devolution bill. During a speech in Manchester, his first since the Conservatives' victory at the General Election, he said things should no longer be run just from the capital, and that this “old model” had unbalanced the [...]
What the General Election means for accountants – ACCA Comment May 13, 2015 The next five years won’t all be about stability and certainty To call the result of last week’s election a surprise barely does it justice. Hardly a day has gone by over the past two years without a new poll being released, and those who predicted the result correctly were few and far between. [...]
Who will the next Labour leader be? Six things you should know about new hopeful Andy Burnham May 13, 2015 Shadow health secretary Andy Burnahm is the latest MP to join the race for Labour leadership. The party had a dismal time at the General Election, winning just 232 seats and leaving the Conservatives with an overall majority. Ed Miliband resigned as leader the very next day, and various members of the party have [...]
When will there be a new Labour leader? Miliband replacement due to be revealed in September May 13, 2015 The race is on to find the next Labour party leader, but we'll have to wait four months to find out the result. The ruling National Executive Committee has confirmed that those wishing to compete have until 15 June to gain the support of 34 colleagues, or 15 per cent of the party's MPs, and [...]
Kent police are investigating claims of electoral fraud in Nigel Farage-contested South Thanet seat May 13, 2015 Kent police are investigating claims of electoral fraud in South Thanet – the constituency contested by Ukip leader Nigel Farage at the General Election "Kent Police have received a report of electoral fraud. Inquiries are ongoing," Kent Police said in a statement. The highly contested constituency where Farage made a bid to win Ukip its [...]