Broadcasters BBC and ITV offer seven-way General Election TV debates January 22, 2015 After weeks of wrangling in the wake of David Cameron's insistence that he won't take part in General Election TV debates unless the Greens are represented, broadcasters BBC and ITV have come back with a rather stunning proposal. The two broadcasters have decided to offer the party leaders and the public the chance of a [...]
MPs to vote on plain packaging before election January 21, 2015 Rules on enforcing plain packaging for cigarettes, similar to Australia’s move to ban advertising on the packaging of cigarettes in 2012, could be introduced in the UK by May. Health minister Jane Ellison made the surprise announcement last night that the government would propose a bill before the next general election for MPs to vote [...]
Political uncertainty: The greatest threat to Britain’s thriving small businesses January 21, 2015 In the depths of the financial crisis, we were approached by a small house builder in the South East who was looking for finance to refocus his business towards the higher end market. A gamble at the worst possible time, you might say. But five years on, and his business is thriving. It’s a small [...]
IFS director Paul Johnson wants Tory advert quoting him removed January 21, 2015 The director of think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has called on the Tory party to remove a campaign video quoting him. Speaking to Radio Four's The World at One, Johnson said he had been given no prior warning he would feature in the Youtube video (below). He said the clips taken of him [...]
SNP leads Labour in Scotland by a massive 28 points, according to new STV poll January 21, 2015 The latest opinion polls north of the border will make dire reading for Labour party strategists. An Ipsos Mori poll, commissioned by the STV shows Labour would be crushed in Scotland by an insurgent SNP if the General Election were held today. The SNP lead Labour in Scotland by a whopping 28 points on 52 [...]
Granny bonds: Politicians must stop buying votes with subsidies for the old and rich January 19, 2015 One of the insights of the “public choice school” of economics is that voting groups with more homogenous interests will have much more influence on the political process than those with diffused concerns. In recent years we have seen this clearly with pensioners. Whenever it is suggested that it would be prudent to examine the [...]
Small party support jumps in latest Lord Ashcroft poll January 19, 2015 The Tories and Labour both fell below 30 per cent for the first time in a weekly poll, another indicator that small parties will hold more sway in this May's general election. David Cameron's party had fallen five points to 29 per cent still one point ahead of Labour – which was unchanged at 28 [...]
General Election 2015: Lib Dem Nick Clegg confirms plans to tax wealthy January 18, 2015 Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said yesterday his party would raise taxes for high earners, if it won power in the general election. The deputy prime minister told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “[Lib Dem plans to cut the deficit would involve] a mixture of the following components: clamping down on tax evasion and tax avoidance, [...]
Labour catches up with the SNP but still set to lose half of MPs in Scotland January 18, 2015 The Labour party in Scotland has some reason for cheer according to the latest opinion polls. The party, which was increasingly looking like it was set for a bloodbath in Scotland, has slashed the SNP's poll lead by seven percentage points. A new Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times showed the SNP on 41 per cent [...]
Long-term policies more than falling oil prices are needed for sustainable wage growth business groups tell Cameron January 17, 2015 Long-term solutions rather than the short-term gains from falling oil prices are needed to boost wages, business groups have said. David Cameron urged businesses to pass on the benefits of falling oil prices to staff through higher wages on his visit to Washington yesterday. Business groups have responded saying lower oil prices are already creating [...]