EU referendum results: The map – Britain votes for Brexit June 23, 2016 David Cameron has announced his resignation after the Leave campaign stormed to victory in yesterday's European Union referendum. The final results showed a 51.9 per cent leave for the Leave campaign, while Remain was left with 48.1 per cent. This morning Cameron said he will continue in office for a "short spell", but added he [...]
Crossrail 2 could add £100bn to the UK economy September 28, 2015 The second leg of Crossrail could add billions of pounds to the UK economy and bring thousands of new jobs and homes to London and the south east, a new report claims. The benefits of Crossrail 2, which will run through London, Surrey and Hertfordshire could be as high as £102bn, according to new estimates [...]
“All in this together” takes a back seat as “long term economic plan” and immigration top odds on Osborne’s most likely Autumn Statement phrases December 1, 2014 Are we all in this together? Not any more. The phrase beloved by Cameron and Co has fallen to its longest odds yet when it comes to the likelihood of it appearing in this year’s Autumn Statement at 4/1. It looks like the Conservatives' long-term economic plan is still on track, though, with Ladbrokes giving [...]
Boris Johnson pulls out of Conservative leadership race – leaving Theresa May odds-on to become next Tory leader June 30, 2016 Boris Johnson has announced he will not seek the Tory leadership, after weeks of speculation that the former London mayor was hoping to become the next Prime Minister. "Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament I have concluded that [the next Conservative leader] cannot be me," he said in a speech at [...]
Government risks jeopardising UK competitiveness if it is over-zealous in corporate tax reform November 19, 2015 At the Autumn Statement next week, we should get some indication of how the government intends to put into practice the biggest change to international taxation for almost a century. For the UK, this presents both a huge challenge and an opportunity. The stakes could hardly be higher because the proposed changes go to the [...]
Lord Lamont talks Osborne, Varoufakis and the EU referendum December 1, 2015 One wouldn't normally expect a former Conservative chancellor to agree with a controversial left wing ex-finance minister, but Lord Norman Lamont robustly defends his friend Yanis Varoufakis. “Varoufakis was disputing the rules of the European Union, rather than what they had discretion over, whereas the EU was responding by saying these are the rules; you [...]
Paris attacks: It’s natural to care more about those close to us – and that has implications for government too November 16, 2015 Many people have taken to social media to ask why the terrorist massacres in Paris have been given so much Western media attention, while similar atrocities in Beirut received scant coverage. One important reason is that France is closer to us – in location, culture and worldview. While we may pay lip service to [...]
It’s time for radical solutions to address London’s housing crisis December 17, 2015 As MP since 2001 for the most central London constituency, I cannot recall a time when housing issues have not dominated my postbag. No surprise, perhaps, when UK buyers compete for a limited supply of homes with a global citizenry seeking its own slice of prime London. But I have also witnessed how the polarisation [...]
Top tips for saving up a house deposit January 8, 2016 Four out of five Britons under 30 would prefer to own their own home, rather than rent, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, but in London, that’s easier said than done. Home ownership is at its lowest level in 25 years and property prices have risen to about six times the UK’s average annual [...]
Tax credit changes: House of Lords slams government by voting twice to delay tax credit cuts October 26, 2015 In a move that Downing Street has accused of breaking convention, the House of Lords has twice voted to delay the implementation of the government's controversial tax credit cuts, backing amendments from both Labour peer Baroness Hollis and crossbench peer Baroness Meacher. Baroness Hollis's amendment, which passed 289 to 272, required a three-year "transitional period" with "full protection" for [...]