Deal reached on TV election debates as broadcasters release dates and format March 21, 2015 Britain's broadcasters have finally reached a deal with the political parties on General Election TV debates. After what seemed like a never-ending series of concessions and argument the number of debates and their format has been agreed. One seven-way election debate that will be held on 2 April, hosted by ITV and moderated by Julie [...]
General Election 2015: Housing soars as one of top issues for voters March 21, 2015 Housing is racing up the voters' list of concerns as we head toward the General Election, according to pollster Ipsos Mori. A few years ago, rapidly rising house prices and getting on the property ladder were mainly seen as issues concerning London and the South East. However, as prices rise across the country housing is [...]
As a new scandal emerges, here’s how many Ukip MEPs have served time in prison March 20, 2015 More Ukip MEPs have served time in prison than there are Tory MPs in Scotland. It may be an overly easy comparison as the Conservatives only have one MP north of the border, but the last 24 hours show Ukip's penchant for scandal doesn't seem to be dying down as we head towards polling day. [...]
Number of people paying inheritance tax set to double by the end of the decade March 20, 2015 The number of people paying Britain's most unpopular tax is set soar before the end of the decade, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The independent watchdog forecasts that the deaths of 64,000 people in 2019/20 means the number of people paying inheritance tax will double. Still only paid by a small number [...]
The one reason people trust Coca-Cola more than David Cameron March 20, 2015 Barack Obama reading trolls’ tweets on Jimmy Kimmel, Yanis Varoufakis in a lifestyle shoot in Paris Match, David Cameron on Buzzfeed (or “The Buzzfeed”, as he likes to call it). In our celebrity-obsessed world, we want to see the human side of our politicians. For this reason, a politician’s “brand” is critical. Why do you [...]
Ukip suspends MEP and General Election candidate Janice Atkinson March 19, 2015 Ukip has suspended MEP and General Election candidate Janice Atkinson "following allegations of a serious financial nature", the party said on Thursday night. Atkinson is an MEP for the South East and was due to contest the Folkestone and Hythe seat in the election on 7 May. The decision is thought to be related to [...]
Inheritance tax seen as the most unfair by voters in all parties March 19, 2015 Inheritance tax remains one of the most unpopular taxes and is loathed across the party lines. A new YouGov poll for the Red Box found 59 per cent of voters thought inheritance tax was unfair – the highest figure for all the taxes polled. The BBC licence fee and fuel duty came joint second for [...]
Jeremy Browne: George Osborne has given up making the case for a smaller state March 19, 2015 George Osborne has given up making the case for a smaller state and conceded ground to the Labour party, according to a former government minister. Speaking at a post-Budget briefing hosted by the Taxpayers' Alliance and the Institute of Economic Affairs, ex-home and foreign office minister Jeremy Browne said Osborne was failing to make the [...]
Liam Fox: Tories should freeze all spending except defence and health March 19, 2015 George Osborne should freeze all non-discretionary spending in the next parliament and "share the proceeds of growth" between tax cuts and deficit reduction. So said the former defence secretary and backbench Tory MP Liam Fox this morning. The former Conservative leadership contender flipped the phrase once used by David Cameron to argue that tax revenue [...]
The UK’s net migration estimates have been revised up by 57 per cent March 19, 2015 The government's plans to cut immigration are in tatters, after a report from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) upped its estimates of the number of people moving to the UK. It predicts the influx will provide a boost in tax receipts and a fillip for potential output growth. The government initially promised to cut [...]