EU referendum: Official campaign begins ahead of vote on 23 June April 15, 2016 The starting gun has been fired in the battle to win hearts and minds ahead of the EU referendum on 23 June, as the official campaign begins. Earlier this week Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave were chosen as the designated campaigning groups ahead of the vote by the Electoral Commission, with both now [...]
Corbyn the Musical review: An alluring portrayal of Labour’s leader if at times predictable April 15, 2016 A drains and manhole covers enthusiast, the imagined life of a future Jeremy Corbyn takes a sudden turn when he’s elected Prime Minister and confronted with a nuclear threat posed by his onetime admirer Vladimir Putin. Why is Putin outraged? That would be telling. But luckily for Corbyn, he’s got Diane Abbott by his side, as he reminisces over their [...]
EU referendum: Former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling condemns Brexit campaign for turning “blind eye to credible warnings of economic disaster” April 15, 2016 There is "nothing patriotic" about backing a Brexit and "turning a blind eye to credible warnings of economic disaster", Alistair Darling will say today. The former Labour chancellor will also warn "dark clouds are gathering on our horizon" and compare uncertainty around the EU referendum with the period before the 2008 financial crisis. Read more: Bank [...]
MPs slam HM Revenue & Customs for not doing enough to tackle tax fraud April 15, 2016 A report released today has criticised the UK's tax authority for not making headway in the battle against tax fraud. The report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there had been limited progress made in reducing the losses from tax fraud, which costs HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) around £16bn per year in uncollected taxes. The PAC [...]
Jeremy Corbyn ahead of George Osborne on best Prime Minister, according to poll April 14, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn is doing well in the eyes of the public of late, now seen as a better potential Prime Minister than George Osborne and closing the lead held by David Cameron. A new poll shows that Corbyn has a 13 point lead over Osborne, while has closed the gap with Cameron from 24 points [...]
The Green Deal cost taxpayers £17,000 per household April 14, 2016 The government's abandoned flagship energy-saving programme cost the taxpayer £17,000 per each home that was improved, a watchdog has said. The National Audit Office (NAO) said that "the Green Deal has not achieved value for money". The scheme cost the taxpayer £240m, including grants to stimulate demand, but has generated additional energy savings. "This is because [...]
EU referendum: Jeremy Corbyn outlines pro-EU case but opponents say he’s been gagged April 14, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn has set out his case for why the United Kingdom should vote to remain in the European Union, in his first intervention of the campaign. The Labour leader stressed the "socialist case" for remaining in the 28-member bloc. While acknowledging the shortcomings of the EU, he argued that reform should be made from within, and [...]
EU referendum: Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave given official designation by the Electoral Commission ahead of Grassroots Out April 13, 2016 Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave have been chosen as the official campaign groups by the Electoral Commission ahead of the referendum in June. Both groups will be entitled to broadcast campaign speeches, receive a publicly funded grant of up to £600,000 and send a leaflet to each household. A higher sending limit of £7m is imposed [...]
EU referendum: Citi the latest bank to give six figure sum to the Remain campaign April 13, 2016 Citigroup has become the latest bank to ply the pro-EU camp with a six figure sum, ahead of the referendum this summer. Citi is the fourth US bank to hand a cash sum to campaign group Britain Stronger in Europe, after Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley all donated. A Britain Stronger in Europe spokesperson [...]
EU referendum: Unison joins Unite and GMB in urging members to back Remain April 13, 2016 Unison has become the latest union to officially back Remain ahead of the EU referendum, in a huge blow to Leave campaigners. After overcoming "its doubts", the union will encourage its 1.3m members to back continued EU membership, after over 78 per cent of its branches wanted the union to take a stance and 95 per [...]