Former chancellor George Osborne has been appointed editor of London daily the Evening Standard – Twitter reacts March 17, 2017 George Osborne has announced yet another new job, and Twitter has gone a bit nuts… The former chancellor has just been appointed Editor of the Evening Standard and it's fair to say the news came as a surprise to basically everyone. I am literally dumbfounded. Trying to imagine Osbo drumming up page leads. "Don't we need a nib [...]
SNP rejects PM’s rejection: Tories wouldn’t “dare” stand in the way of vote March 17, 2017 The SNP said today there will be a second Scottish referendum and accused the Conservative party of being scared to give the Scottish people the chance to vote on the future of the union. After earlier this week calling for Scotland to be given another chance to vote on its future in the UK, the SNP kicks [...]
George Osborne’s latest job is editor of the Evening Standard March 17, 2017 Former chancellor George Osborne has been appointed as the new editor of the Evening Standard, its owner has said. Osborne, who worked for the Telegraph before running for Parliament, will keep his job as an MP. A source told Morning Wire it was likely Osborne will edit the Standard four days a week on average. “So much [...]
Nine out of ten French voters think former presidential favourite Fillon is dishonest March 17, 2017 French Presidential wannabe François Fillon is more distrusted by voters than ever, a new poll has shown, after the right-wing candidate was put under formal investigation over claims he created three fake parliamentary aide jobs for family members. The poll, released this morning by Odoxa for FranceInfo, revealed nine out of 10 French see the former favourite as “not honest”, while [...]
US makes formal apology to UK about GCHQ claims March 17, 2017 The US has apologised to Britain after White House claims that GCHQ had helped former President Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump, according to reports. Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, made the claims at a press conference last night, apparently referring to a report on Fox News. Spicer told reporters that British agents had [...]
Independent Scotland might have to ditch the pound, SNP’s Alex Salmond admits March 17, 2017 Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has said Scotland could ditch the pound if it wins independence in a new referendum. The Scottish National Party (SNP) previously said it would continue to use sterling, but Salmond told the Financial Times he could change his view to reduce reliance on the rest of the UK for [...]
GCHQ vehemently denies wire-tapping US President Donald Trump March 17, 2017 Britain’s cyber spy agency has fiercely denied allegations it put the communications of US President Donald Trump under surveillance. White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited a report by a pundit on Fox News that the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had spied on Trump after he was elected. In a strongly worded statement GCHQ [...]
Editor’s Notes: Only a lack of ambition can hold Britain back, says the Legatum Institute’s researcher tasked with finding the upside of the Brexit vote March 17, 2017 Britain faces an enormous challenge in the wake of Brexit, but the prize is more than worth the fight. That’s according to one experienced former trade negotiator who now finds himself at the heart of the UK’s trade debate. Shanker Singham is director of economic policy and prosperity studies at the Legatum Institute in London. He’s [...]
Forget independence: The SNP should fix Scotland’s failing public services March 17, 2017 Ideas are powerful things. Many of us choose to engage in the battle of ideas on a weekly, often daily basis – through our hobbies, political affiliations, and reading material. Some of us even do it for a living. It’s hard to deny that the prospect of change can be rather captivating. But every once [...]
A €50bn Brexit bill? Britain shouldn’t be quibbling over coughing up to the EU March 17, 2017 One of the more unfortunate aspects of the run-up to the UK-EU negotiations on a withdrawal treaty to allow a separation of Britain from Europe is the excessive focus on payment questions. Boris Johnson, in urging Theresa May to resist paying any substantial Brexit bill, made the fanciful analogy with Margaret Thatcher’s famous settlement at [...]