Jury delivers guilty verdict in trial of Jo Cox murder accused Thomas Mair November 23, 2016 Thomas Mair has been found guilty of the murder of Jo Cox MP. Cox died in June after being shot and stabbed outside a library in Birstall where she held her weekly advice surgeries for her constituency of Batley and Spen. The mother of two became an MP in May 2015. Mair, a 52-year-old local man, [...]
Brexit, Trump and Farage? These are the odds on Philip Hammond’s speech November 23, 2016 Happy Autumn Statement Day! It's that time of year again (even though it is actually winter) when the chancellor sets out his stall for spending, and this year it's newbie Philip Hammond who'll be astutely picking out his tie and carefully choosing the words he uses in his speech. Read more: What to expect when you're expecting the [...]
Angela Merkel “not happy” about demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) November 23, 2016 German Chancellor Angela Merkel has today said she's "not happy" about the possible scrapping of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Her comments come shortly after President-elect Donald Trump announced he would be pulling the US' involvement from the trade deal on his first day in office. "I will tell you honestly: I am not happy that the [...]
What to expect when you’re expecting the Autumn Statement – here’s what we know so far November 23, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond will deliver his first Autumn Statement today – and unlike during the Osborne era, the Treasury has already given a hint of what will be in the speech: Housing Letting agents' fees are in the firing line: Hammond is expected to ban them in an attempt to stop households in private rental [...]
The Lib Dem trying to beat Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park has vowed to vote against Brexit, no matter what November 23, 2016 The Lib Dem hoping to unseat Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election has vowed to fight the activation of Article 50. Sarah Olney is battling against Goldsmith in South-West London after the former Tory MP resigned over the decision to expand Heathrow. And speaking to Morning Wire with just days before the vote, Olney [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond to scrap letting agent fees in today’s Autumn Statement November 23, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond will today deliver a package of reforms aimed at raising living standards, including the latest increases for the National Living Wage. But it's not such good news for British landlords, who will suffer a blow with letting agent fees in the firing line. Hammond is expected to ban them, in what the government [...]
From bunnies to Brexit – the government’s fiscal events are about to get a lot more serious November 23, 2016 Help to Buy, the National Living Wage, the New Isa, the Lifetime Isa, a tax on fizzy drinks – the list of George Osborne’s fiscal innovations was, until his departure from Downing Street, seemingly endless. During his time as chancellor, Osborne was especially keen to pull at least one rabbit out of his metaphorical hat [...]
A Khan aide has just blocked London Assembly members from grilling the new Night Tsar November 22, 2016 A key aide to Sadiq Khan has blocked London Assembly members from directly interrogating the mayor's controversial new Night Tsar Amy Lame. Khan handed the role to Lame in early November, but the appointment has been mired in disputes over her comments on social media, and the manner in which she was hired. In particular, Lame's [...]
Donald Trump says he thinks there’s “some connectivity” between people and climate change November 22, 2016 First he opted against pursuing charges against Hillary Clinton over her email saga. And now President-elect Donald Trump seems to be changing his tune on climate change. In 2012, Trump tweeted: "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive." Read more: Keep calm and [...]
Massive investment in education is the ultimate fiscal stimulus for Brexit Britain November 22, 2016 We learnt of three priorities for government spending recently: roads, railways and flood defences. As an economist, I take a slightly different view of what’s needed to drive the UK economy at this pivotal time. To quote a former politician, my three priorities for public infrastructure in today’s Autumn Statement would be “education, education, education.” In [...]