Michael Spencer says EU referendum vote must not be rushed as CBI boss Sir Mike Rake gives pro-European support May 19, 2015 City veteran and top Tory donor Michael Spencer yesterday warned against rushing into a quick referendum, arguing that the Prime Minister needs time to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels. The message is at odds with pleas from key City figures, including Bank of England governor Mark Carney, to cast the in/out vote as quickly as [...]
Labour and SNP in battle of the bottoms as Michelle Thomson and Pete Wishart claim seats on House of Commons opposition bench May 19, 2015 The parliamentary turf war between Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP) escalated yesterday, as MPs were sworn in. Not content with wiping out Labour from seats in their Scottish heartland, Nicola Sturgeon’s MPs are now trying to force them out of their preferred perch in the House of Commons chamber, too, The [...]
How can Yvette Cooper and the Labour party reset their relationship with business? May 19, 2015 Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper caught the attention of the City yesterday when she said that she wanted to consign the party’s anti-business image to the scrapheap. Distancing herself from Labour’s former leader Ed Miliband, who stepped down following the party’s severe defeat in the General Election, Cooper said Miliband had made a “mistake” by [...]
London Mayor 2016: Tessa Jowell focuses on housing for Labour bid May 19, 2015 Mayoral bids are like London buses. You wait for five years (or so it feels) and then two come along at once. Yesterday was the somewhat unorthodox launch of entrepreneur-turned-Tory candidate Ivan Massow, who opted for the “disarmingly honest” approach with his bid. Today it was the turn of Tessa Jowell, who stood [...]
Dan Jarvis throws weight behind Andy Burnham in Labour leadership contest May 19, 2015 Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP seen as a dark horse contender for the leadership contest, has thrown his weight behind shadow health secretary Andy Burnham. Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central and a former British army officer, said the party had suffered a “tragedy” during the General Election, in which the Conservatives rose to a [...]
The glamorous world of Ivan Massow: Everything you need to know about London’s latest Mayoral candidate May 18, 2015 London's Mayoral election just got interesting, after entrepreneur Ivan Massow announced his intention to run as Conservative candidate in the vote, due to take place next year. There's no doubt London likes its leader to have bags of character (see: "Boris Johnson cheerfully dangling off a zipwire") – and Massow has character a-plenty. Here's everything [...]
David Cameron to appoint Joanna Shields as web safety minister May 17, 2015 Joanna Shields, the former Facebook executive turned Conservative peer, is set to be appointed as minister for internet security in the new government. Baroness Shields is formally listed on the government’s website as a minister in the department for culture, media and sport. However, she has not yet been given a full portfolio by Conservative [...]
New energy secretary Amber Rudd says Tory government will back fracking May 17, 2015 The Tory-led government will back fracking, according to the new energy and climate change secretary. Shale gas extraction will be allowed under national parks under the new government, Amber Rudd told The Sunday Times in an interview this weekend. Rudd added that while the government would allow firms to exploit oil and gas resources, such [...]
Unite leader Len McClusky tells Labour to be the voice of the workers May 17, 2015 As Labour struggles with its identity and future after a brutal general election defeat, it’s relationship with the trades unions is coming under increasing pressure. Len McClusky, the leader of union Unite, said in an interview with the BBC that Unite could reconsider its relationship with Labour if the party does not demonstrate its dedication [...]
Whitehall could face 100,000 more job losses as chancellor George Osborne looks to balance the books May 17, 2015 Whitehall could lose up to 100,000 jobs during the next parliament, as part of government targets to wipe £10bn from the civil service's budget by 2020. The £10bn target represents a third of the total needed to be cut from government spending, if the Conservatives are to eliminate the budget deficit by the end of [...]