Editor’s Notes: The Tories face a huge challenge, but they must take the fight to Corbyn September 28, 2018 Having observed the Labour party conference from a safe distance I’ll be travelling to Birmingham on Sunday to soak up the atmosphere at the annual Tory gathering. My first port of call will be speaking at a dinner hosted by City comms firm Cicero, where I shall sing for my supper and offer a [...]
Brexiters set to reveal an alternative to Chequers September 24, 2018 Pro-Brexit MPs will today throw their weight behind a detailed alternative to the Prime Minister’s ill-fated Chequers proposals. Earlier this month Morning Wire revealed that former Brexit secretary David Davis was backing an alternative Brexit plan, which has been produced by trade expert Shanker Singham – head of the International Trade and Competition Unit at [...]
Sadiq Khan launches extension to CS6 cycle route between Farringdon and King’s Cross September 20, 2018 London mayor Sadiq Khan has opened a major new extension to cycle superhighway 6 (CS6) this morning that connects cyclists from Elephant and Castle to north London through the heart of the city. Transport for London (TfL) and Islington and Camden councils have extended the CS6 between Farringdon and King’s Cross, passing through Blackfriars station. [...]
Ignore Michael Gove – there’ll be no chance to edit Chequers once the ink is dry September 19, 2018 Theresa May’s ambush of her own cabinet in July by presenting the fait accompli of the proposed Chequers deal, which the EU remains unconvinced about and which will be the subject of discussion among EU leaders in Salzburg tomorrow, was for me the low point of the Brexit negotiations. That was until last Sunday, when [...]
Boris Johnson’s flagship cycle superhighway costs £62,000 for every extra cyclist September 18, 2018 Boris Johnson’s controversial cycle superhighway, heralded as London’s “Crossrail of cycling”, is costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds for every new cyclist it attracts, according to new figures. Today’s new information from Transport for London (TfL) is likely to provide fresh ammunition to critics of the £47m project, which has come under fire from [...]
Theresa May ‘irritated’ by talk of leadership challenges September 16, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May has said she gets “irritated” by speculation about her position as leader of the Conservative Party, as she heads towards a crucial crunch meeting with EU leaders later this week. In an interview to mark six months until Britain is due to leave the European Union, May slapped down former foreign [...]
Spirits in the sky: JD Wetherspoon axes Jägermeister and French brandy in post-Brexit plan September 12, 2018 JD Wetherspoon is ditching European spirits such as Jägermeister for non-EU equivalents in a bid to lower prices across its 880 UK pubs. Replacing the ousted continental brands, which also include French brandies Courvoisier VS and Hennessy Fine de Cognac, will be US drink E&J Brandy, Australia’s Black Bottle and Strika, a herbal liqueur produced [...]
EU refugee crisis: Boris Johnson says London should help as Mayor of Liverpool offers sanctuary to 100 Syrian refugees September 3, 2015 As scenes of refugees making their way from Syria across Europe become more harrowing, the Mayor of London has said the capital should face up to its "moral responsibilities". On the question of whether to take in Syrian refugees in particular, Boris Johnson said London should "take people fleeing persecution and those plainly in fear [...]
Fossil Fuel divestment: The feel-good climate change policy that would undermine public pension funds September 2, 2015 Most would agree that climate change could pose a threat to the economy. However, measures to combat it will ultimately prove counter-productive if they conflict with the interests of the taxpayer. Forcing government to pursue losses from taxpayer-funded investments in the name of environmentalism, for example, would be an obvious misuse of public [...]
London mayoral election 2016: After Boris Johnson, the next Mayor of London must be a dealmaker – Zac Goldsmith August 26, 2015 Next year you will decide who replaces Boris Johnson as Mayor of London. But in less than a month, you also have an opportunity to decide who will be the Conservative party’s candidate for mayor. London’s performance under Boris’s mayoralty has been remarkable. Our city has not only emerged from recession but has also driven [...]