Labour leader: Stop Britain’s headlong rush for the Brexit November 10, 2014 Writing exclusively for Morning Wire, opposition leader Ed Miliband argues the UK would suffer by leaving the EU WE live at a crucial time in Britain’s relationship with the European Union, one which will determine the future of our country for decades to come. In the past year, Nigel Farage, Ukip and a growing number [...]
EU budget 2014: How much has the UK been asked to pay compared to other member states? October 25, 2014 David Cameron appeared as shocked as the rest of us by the news that the European Commission has charged the UK with a whopping €2.1bn (£1.7bn) bill. The EU Commission is demanding the UK make the extra contribution to the EU budget due to the relative health of the country’s economy in comparison to the [...]
EU referendum: Cameron considers threatening EU with Brexit August 25, 2014 David Cameron is likely to issue an unveiled threat to EU powers by raising the prospect of a British exit. According to information obtained by The Times, the prime minister and his advisors are "actively considering" making a stand, although the timing is yet to be confirmed. The announcement would be aimed at strengthening Britain's bargaining position, [...]
Unite urges Miliband to offer EU referendum July 2, 2014 The Unite union has called on the Labour party to offer an In-out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. The for a vote on EU membership from Labour's biggest union backer will not come as welcome news to Ed Miliband, who has ruled out the possibility of an EU vote unless there is [...]
Brexit could lose UK its UN Security Council seat, says Tory MEP June 20, 2014 Britain's withdrawal from the European Union could cost the country its seat on the United Nations Security Council, according to the Conservative candidate for president of the European Parliament. The MEP for the North West of England and former Liberal Democrat, Sajjad Karim, explained that should Scotland vote against independence the EU referendum in 2017 [...]
Morning Wire joins Chuka Umunna: a Brexit would be catastrophic for London firms May 19, 2014 WALKING around Labour-stronghold Burnt Oak with shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna feels a bit like knowing a minor celebrity. Some people clasp his hand and snap selfies, others brush past uninterested. “I don’t want to be the shadow secretary, I want to be the real thing!” Umunna tells one couple who run a curtain shop [...]
Beware the corporate grandees who claim Brexit would cost Britain dear May 15, 2014 ONE OF the chief arguments of those who are keen to maintain the status quo with regard to the EU is that a huge number of jobs is bound up with the continuation of the UK’s membership, not just in the City but throughout the whole economy. In the UK, both the present coalition government [...]
What Brexit would really mean for financial services April 30, 2014 TWO fallacies are common in the EU debate. One is the “nirvana fallacy”, the idea that, if we leave the EU, we will have optimal policy at home. In financial services, for instance, while many are rightly angry about the European Court of Justice’s rejection of the UK challenge to a EU financial transaction tax [...]
Diplomat wins €100,000 prize for Brexit plot April 8, 2014 THE UK could boost its GDP by £1.3bn if the country left the EU and negotiated a looser relationship with Brussels, according to the winner of a competition to design a “Brexit” plan. The Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) announced a competition last year to plan a potential exit from the EU for the UK, [...]
Blueprint for Brexit: Why post-EU prosperity isn’t unthinkable April 8, 2014 IT WOULD be easy to think that the debate about Britain’s membership of the EU has been done to death. Yet there has been relatively little serious discussion about the alternatives to EU membership – an urgent issue given the possibility of an in/out referendum in 2017. Outlandish claims that exit would be utterly catastrophic [...]