Budget 2016: Royal Statistical Society rejects Treasury Select Committee’s calls for Treasury to take control of UK statistics at next month’s Budget February 29, 2016 Statistics experts have today slammed calls from MPs to hand full responsibility of national statistics to the Treasury, saying such a change would be "the wrong move". In a letter today to Morning Wire, Mike Hughes, chair of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) advisory group, said "strengthening the independence of statistics is laudable but bringing them under [...]
Budget 2016: Brewers call on chancellor George Osborne to announce a fourth consecutive cut in beer duty February 29, 2016 Surprise, surprise: the British brewing industry is calling on chancellor George Osborne to once again cut beer duty in next month's Budget. If Osborne were to axe the tax on booze on 16 March, it would mark the fourth consecutive annual cut in beer duty. In a 23-page submission to the Treasury today, the Society of [...]
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says to make change in Europe we must remain in the EU ahead of June referendum February 29, 2016 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon desperately wants the United Kingdom to vote to remain in the European Union, arguing it is the only way to make real change. Speaking at the Resolution Foundation, Sturgeon said that if the UK is to influence positive change in Europe, we must remain within the EU. Sturgeon echoed other Remain campaigners [...]
Labour party signs up former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis to advisory role February 29, 2016 Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis just couldn't stay away from the political arena. After having left his position in the government and started his own political movement, he's now taking a role advising the Labour party. Supporting Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, Varoufakis will be advising Labour in "some capacity" due to his experience in dealing [...]
EU referendum: Six in 10 small business owners would vote for the UK to stay in the EU, while 17 per cent back Brexit according to new Moore Stephens pol February 29, 2016 Six in 10 owners of small and medium-sized businesses in Britain would vote to stay in the European Union, according to a new poll out today from a leading accountancy group. Moore Stephens polled nearly 500 owner-managed businesses in Britain, across multiple sectors, finding that just 17 per cent of so-called SMEs back Brexit. "Owner-managed businesses [...]
Budget 2016: Sir Charlie Bean’s report on national statistics should be published ahead of Osborne’s budget, according to the Treasury Select Committee February 29, 2016 An influential group of MPs have today raised red flags over the government's handling of official national statistics, ahead of the publication of a major review on the subject. Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chairs the Treasury Select Committee, has written to Sir Charlie Bean calling for a "shake up" of UK national statistics. [...]
London airport expansion: 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady hits out at government over runway delay February 29, 2016 A leading backbencher MP is set to slam the government today over its move to delay a decision to build another runway in London and the southeast. Graham Brady, the Conservative MP who chairs the influential 1922 Committee, is expected to table a so-called Early Day Motion criticising the government over its indecision and urging ministers to deliver a [...]
Budget 2016: Federation of Small Businesses, EEF, British Chambers of Commerce all warn over chancellor George Osborne’s onslaught of business taxes February 29, 2016 Britain's biggest business groups are today calling on chancellor George Osborne to stop increasing taxes on industry at next month's Budget. In its Budget submission out today, the EEF said that Osborne needs to signal to businesses that they will not be the "thin end of an ever-thickening wedge". The EEF, which represents manufacturers, said a "raft [...]
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) wants the government to “give teeth” to Lord Andrew Adonis’s National Infrastructure Commission so it can approve airport expansion and other major projects February 29, 2016 Britain's biggest business group is calling on the government to “give teeth” to a new body set up to oversee large-scale infrastructure projects, warning that the National Infrastructure Commission “cannot afford to be way-laid by politics”. In a new report out today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) sets out its recommendations for the commission, which [...]
US Presidential Election 2016 odds: Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton looks like a done deal, says bookmaker February 28, 2016 As Donald Trump becomes ever more dominant and after Hillary Clinton convincingly swept to her third primary win, one bookmaker now thinks a Clinton versus Trump showdown is a done deal. William Hill now thinks that Clinton and Trump are so far ahead of their rivals in the nomination stakes that they look past the post. [...]