EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson will back Brexit and join Vote Leave as he advocates a new relationship with Europe based on trade February 21, 2016 The Mayor of London Boris Johnson will be backing the campaign for the UK to leave the EU. In a huge blow to Prime Minister David Cameron, Johnson said that while he "loves Brussels", he will be campaigning in support of Brexit. "There should be no confusing of the wonders of Europe, with the political project [...]
Forget Boris for Brexit: Why the real story is that David Cameron’s EU deal isn’t legally binding February 23, 2016 Boris Johnson sells papers. So for political hacks who view everything through the prism of party politics, both his divergence from David Cameron over the EU and the prospect of a future leadership run are understandably exciting. But in focusing so much on him, journalists are missing a far more important story which could influence [...]
Steve Hilton interview: Cameron’s former advisor on supporting Brexit, decentralising government and why Boris shouldn’t take over as PM June 6, 2016 Steve Hilton was so unconventional during his time as Tory party spin doctor that when they came to parody him in The Thick of It, they had to tone him down. “He wears something I would never wear,” complained actor Vincent Franklin, “these ridiculous half-shorts, half-trousers.” Amid the charcoal suits of the Tory cabinet, Hilton [...]
BBC Trust chair to call for update to licence fee December 1, 2015 The government's commitment to overhaul the BBC licence fee is expected echoed today by the chair of the BBC Trust Rona Fairhead later today. She is set to call for an update of the licence fee to make it encompass the BBC’s growing on demand services. Currently households only need to pay a licence fee [...]
EU referendum: Will leaving the European Union lead to more sovereignty for the UK? April 2, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron lambasts claims by the pro-Leave campaign that leaving the EU will bring sovereignty back to the UK. He says that if Britain leaves the EU, you will end up with the "illusion of sovereignty, but not the power, you don’t have control and you can’t get things done". That stands in [...]
EU referendum and Brexit explained: Who is “in” and who is “out”, the main issues including immigration and trade, when the vote is scheduled and why it’s important February 22, 2016 To Brexit or not to Brexit? That is the question. But what is a Brexit and why should you care about it? Here's everything you need to know about the EU referendum. What is Brexit? Brexit refers to Britain's exit from the European Union. It's not the only portmanteau of this kind, with Grexit having preceded [...]
Here’s why the UK government was planning a £6m deal to modernise Saudi Arabian prisons in the first place October 13, 2015 Why the UK is pulling out of the deal Prime Minister David Cameron has backtracked on a deal worth £6m with the Saudi Arabian Prison Service due to the country's human rights record and criminal justice system. The cancellation is a victory for justice minister Michael Gove, who had lobbied the Prime Minister to cancel the [...]
The new centre ground: The full text of Theresa May’s Conservative Party conference speech October 5, 2016 In the speech which closed the Conservative Party conference, Theresa May spoke of a country in transition, and new opportunities. The full 7,600 words is below – although if you'd rather a cut-down version, her best quotes are here – or you can read how businesses reacted. The new centre ground: May's speech in full When [...]
There’s no evidence to justify tough fines for taking children on holiday in term time October 22, 2015 The recent decision by Isle of Wight magistrates to throw out the case against Jon Platt, who took his daughter to Disney World in termtime, has cast doubt on the hardline policy on school attendance introduced by Michael Gove. In 2013, the Department for Education (DfE) started to get tough on school absenteeism, reducing the discretion [...]
Coding overtakes French as UK’s most popular second language in primary schools August 27, 2015 Coding has become the most popular second language to learn at UK primary schools, shoving French into second place, according to a new study released today. Read more: We are jeopardising UK tech by failing to tackle UK skills shortages Ocado Technology carried out a survey of 3,000 people falling into three different age [...]