EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron confirms ministers will be free to campaign for “remain” or “leave” January 5, 2016 UPDATE: Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that he will allow government ministers to campaign with their conscience in the run-up to the referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. In a statement to MPs this afternoon, Cameron said: "It is in the nature of a referendum, that it is the people, [...]
London Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith says he may vote to stay in the EU despite being a Eurosceptic January 5, 2016 London Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has said that while he is a Eurosceptic, he will vote to stay in the European Union if Prime Minister David Cameron achieves meaningful treaty change. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Goldsmith said while the EU needs to be reformed to become more "radically more democratic", he will review the reforms [...]
Junior doctors strike dates: Action will take place 12 January, 26 January and 10 February after talks with government and health minister Jeremy Hunt fail January 4, 2016 Thousands of junior doctors will go on strike next week after last ditch talks with the government to agree new contracts failed to come to a resolution. Doctors will go on strike for 24 hours on 12 January while a second 48 hour strike is scheduled for 26 January. Only emergency care will be offered [...]
EU referendum: Societe Generale analysts say chances of Brexit are nearing 50/50 January 4, 2016 Analysts at Societe Generale have warned there is a "high risk that the UK could vote to leave the European Union" this year. In a note out last night, Soc Gen said it is placing a 45 per cent probability of "Brexit", something analysts said would result in "significant economic damages". "To date, financial markets seem [...]
2016 London mayoral election: Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith gets housing boost from Prime Minister David Cameron January 4, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has given Conservative candidate for mayor of London Zac Goldsmith a boost today by announcing that he will amend the national government's housing bill to address concerns over a lack of affordable housing in the capital. Cameron said that he is incorporating an amendment put forward by Goldsmith to create a binding [...]
EU referendum: Six more Conservative MPs say they’re backing Brexit as Nigel Farage, Peter Bone, Tom Pursglove and Kate Hoey launch new cross-party “leave” campaign January 4, 2016 Six new Conservative MPs have come out in favour of Britain leaving the European Union today, piling pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron as he works to secure a reform deal by the end of the next month. Anne-Marie Trevelyan, James Cleverly, Scott Mann, Craig Mackinlay, Royston Smith and Paul Scully, all elected as MPs [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is finally sitting down with Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director-general Carolyn Fairbairn January 4, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn will finally meet with one of Britain's biggest business groups this week, nearly four months after he was elected as Labour leader. Corbyn is scheduled to sit down with Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director-general Carolyn Fairbairn within days, Sky News first reported this morning. Corbyn drew sharp criticism when he declined an invitation to address [...]
Argentina’s new government under Mauricio Macri will continue Falklands claim January 4, 2016 The new government of Argentina led by president Mauricio Macri has said it will continue to push ahead with its claim over the Falkland Islands. The election of Macri last year signalled a friendlier diplomatic approach than predecessor Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the Argentine Foreign Ministry has now called for a peaceful settlement to the dispute. In a statement on Sunday it said: “Argentina [...]
Brace yourselves: Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis is launching his own political movement, DiEM 25 January 4, 2016 Yanis Varoufakis – Greece's motorbike-riding, leather jacket-wearing, Paris Match-posing former finance minister – is back, with plans launch his own political movement. German socialist newspaper Neues Deutschland reported today that Varoufakis will launch a "pan-European activist network" known as the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25 to its friends). The movement is billed as the "third alternative" between renationalisation campaigns and "anti-democratic EU institutions", [...]
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under fire as MPs on Treasury Select Committee call for hearing over decision to scrap banking culture review January 4, 2016 Leading MPs have slammed the City watchdog over its decision to drop a review into Britain’s banking culture, raising the possibility of an imminent public grilling of top regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed last week that it had scrapped plans for an inquiry into the culture and behaviour of British bank employees, saying that [...]