Refugee crisis: Where Syria’s four million refugees have fled – how does the UK’s refugee policy measure up? September 3, 2015 The horrifying image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old child lying drowned on a Mediterranean beach, has jolted the world into higher gear over the growing refugee crisis. As grassroots movements across Europe are launching volunteer campaigns and petitioning politicians to accept more refugees, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is under growing pressure to do more, [...]
Northern regions agree in principle to an elected mayor to gain devolved powers September 3, 2015 Northern regions have accepted in principle the idea of having directly elected mayors in order to secure devolved powers, after months of reluctance on the parts of local councils. After the General Election, chancellor George Osborne committed to devolving powers over transport and health, as well as giving regions some fiscal autonomy if they were willing to [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron under pressure from own party including Baroness Sayeeda Warsi to accept more refugees September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron was facing the threat of another revolt today, after he came under fire from members of his own party to alter his stance on the growing refugee crisis. A number of MPs and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi have now publicly called on the UK to alter its position of restricting the number [...]
EU referendum: Government to make changes regarding “purdah” rules September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is set to concede more changes to the EU referendum, this time focusing on “purdah” period rules – just a day after he bowed to pressure to change the wording of the EU referendum question. The Prime Minister has come under pressure from MPs to respect the official purdah rules. They argued [...]
China has unveiled its deadly ballistic missile at its Victory Day Parade September 3, 2015 Today, China unveiled its “carrier killer” at its Victory Day Parade – a powerful ballistic missile the world has been awaiting see for the last four years. Read more: $16,000: The amount it costs to get one person into the Chinese army Called the Dongfeng (East Wind) 21-D, the weapon is one of the [...]
Zac Goldsmith will stay a Tory in London mayoral race despite Heathrow airport expansion plans September 3, 2015 Zac Goldsmith yesterday confirmed that he will stay in the Conservative party and remain on the mayoral ballot if the government backs the expansion of Heathrow airport. Goldsmith, the MP for Richmond Park, is widely seen as the front-runner for the Conservative candidacy in a field that also includes London MEP Syed Kamall, deputy mayor [...]
Labour should have done more to cut the deficit, Burnham says September 2, 2015 Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has admitted that Labour “should have done more to tackle [the] deficit in the middle of the last decade, so that we were better prepared when the crisis hit.” Writing in Morning Wire today Burnham says: “Small though it was, we were still running a deficit at the peak [...]
David Cameron: The migration crisis will not be solved by Britain accepting more refugees September 2, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron has responded to calls for Britain to take more refugees, arguing it will not solve the migration crisis. Talking to the BBC, Cameron said: "I don't think there is an answer that can be achieved simply by taking more and more refugees." However, yesterday German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists at [...]
Church of England to lead a “Christian debate” on the EU referendum September 2, 2015 The Church of England has waded into one of Britain's most contentious political issues: the European Union. In a move that surprised believers and non-believers alike, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said yesterday that the church will lead a "Christian debate" on the future of Britain's relationship with the EU. Warning that an in/out referendum could [...]
Labour leadership race: Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna urges unity after election, with 10 days to go until result September 2, 2015 No matter what the result of the Labour leadership race is, the party must show unity after the result of the vote, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has said. In a speech to think tank Policy Network, Umunna said: “I do not think we can simply dismiss out of hand those who hold critical views [...]