David Cameron braces for defeat on EU referendum bill September 6, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron stands to be dealt a bruising defeat today if a cross-party coalition of Labour, the SNP and Conservative rebels vote down the government’s proposed changes to the EU referendum bill. Last week, Downing Street indicated that Cameron would U-turn on his initial refusal to impose a period of “purdah” ahead of [...]
EU referendum: More Britons are now in favour of leaving the EU than remaining in it, and the “no” camp is set to grow even further if the migrant crisis worsens September 6, 2015 The EU “no” camp is gaining strength among British voters, a new Survation poll reveals. If a referendum on membership took place today, 43 per cent of Britons would opt to leave the bloc, while 40 per cent would choose to stay and 17 per cent are undecided about how they would vote. The results are [...]
EU referendum: Ukip leader Nigel Farage is going on an anti-EU tour of the UK, including Leeds, Essex and London September 4, 2015 Nigel Farage – regarded by some as rockstar-esque for taking on the establishment, and others as something of a comedian – is attempting to consolidate his image by going on tour. https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/639742568268480512 The “Say No to the EU referendum tour”, which will put forward arguments as to why British people should vote to leave the [...]
The refugee crisis, the EU referendum and London’s skyline: Here’s what got us talking this week September 4, 2015 There was a fine wine scam. There was a Circle Line travelator (in the making). And somewhere in Japan, people started seeing the world from a cat's perspective. Here's what got us talking this week 1) The refugee crisis Disturbing images of dead toddler Aylan Kurdi galvanised the world into action over the Syrian refugee [...]
Skills gap is bigger threat than Brexit: Talent shortages to hit UK economic growth, warn finance chiefs September 4, 2015 Top UK finance chiefs are more unnerved by their lack of access to talented labour than they are by the threat of Britain leaving the EU, the Bank of England hiking borrowing costs or even the abrupt slowdown in China that has sent shockwaves throughout global financial markets. Fear over dwindling access to skilled [...]
EU referendum: Government to make changes regarding “purdah” rules September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is set to concede more changes to the EU referendum, this time focusing on “purdah” period rules – just a day after he bowed to pressure to change the wording of the EU referendum question. The Prime Minister has come under pressure from MPs to respect the official purdah rules. They argued [...]
Prime Minister takes another U-turn on EU referendum bill September 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron has made another U-turn on the EU referendum, backing down on his initial refusal to impose a period of purdah in the run-up to an in/out vote. Cameron has come under increasing pressure from Tory backbenchers who said that “purdah” – a pre-referendum campaign period – would ensure the fairness of a [...]
EU referendum: Anti-Europeans do UK voters a disservice by obsessing about process not policy September 2, 2015 With the Rugby World Cup due to kick off in just a couple of weeks, fans are already desperate to see their teams and the world’s best players competing on the pitch. What they do not want is for the beginning of the tournament to be dominated by debate over the refereeing and rules [...]
Church of England to lead a “Christian debate” on the EU referendum September 2, 2015 The Church of England has waded into one of Britain's most contentious political issues: the European Union. In a move that surprised believers and non-believers alike, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said yesterday that the church will lead a "Christian debate" on the future of Britain's relationship with the EU. Warning that an in/out referendum could [...]
EU referendum: Change ballot wording to be fair, government told by Electoral Commission September 1, 2015 The Electoral Commission is calling on the government to change the wording of the ballot for the EU referendum in order to avoid bias. As the EU referendum bill potentially paving the way for a Brexit makes its way through parliament, the current phrasing is "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European [...]