Osborne needs welfare cuts of £21 billion a year “George Osborne must slash nearly twice as much from the welfare budget if he wants to ensure cuts to police, councils and roads do not need to accelerate through the next parliament, an economic think-tank said yesterday. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that the chancellor would […]
Autumn Statement 1) Radical Stamp Duty reform ‘George Osborne cut taxes for most homebuyers yesterday and staked next year’s election on a growing economy powered by rising property prices. The chancellor balanced giveaways for middle-class families and small businesses with a raid on the most expensive properties and banks, as he moved to spike Labour’s […]
Autumn Statement 1) The end of business rates as we know them? “Business taxes that have existed since Tudor times could be scrapped. … Chancellor George Osborne will today put reform of despised business rates – and more cheap loans for small firms – at the centre of his plans to secure the recovery. … […]
Autumn Statement 1) Conservatives and LibDems divvy up the announcements between them. Bicester braves Curse of Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister announces new Garden City. “Plans for a new settlement in Bicester, Oxfordshire, containing up to 13,000 homes, will be funded with nearly £100 million of public spending and loans. The Treasury announced that the Autumn […]
The biggest road-building programme since the 1970s “Ministers will announce a £15billion masterplan to build or upgrade 1,300 miles of roads. … The package unveiled today by Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin includes £1.5billion to add extra lanes to key motorways. New charging points every 20 miles on most routes […]
Autumn Statement 1) £2 billion for the NHS ‘Osborne will deliver a larger than expected boost to the NHS in this week’s Autumn Statement – injecting £2 billion to try to blunt Labour’s electoral advantage on the issue. Government sources say that the Chancellor has found the money for the windfall from budget surpluses across […]
Prime Minister branded “blackmailer” after holding EU expansion hostage to migration reform “David Cameron was branded a ‘blackmailer’ in Europe last night as he vowed Britain would veto any further expansion of the EU unless migration rules are reformed. The Prime Minister demanded new rules to apply to countries joining the EU, ensuring their economies […]
Borders 1) Cameron: Give me a tough deal on immigration, or I’ll campaign to leave the EU ‘David Cameron will pledge a tough crackdown on welfare payments to make Britain a less attractive destination today, but will resist calls to fight the election on a pledge to cap EU immigrants. The prime minister will leave […]
Scotland 1) Holyrood takes control of income tax “Scotland is to be handed control of income tax as part of major concessions after its ‘no’ vote in the independence referendum. In a cross-party deal viewed as a significant step towards a federal Britain, a range of powers will be devolved to Holyrood. Under the agreement, […]
Woolwich report 1) Security officials made blunders “Security officials made a string of blunders in tracking the fanatics who butchered Lee Rigby, an official report said yesterday. … Agents dismissed Michael Adebolajo as a drug dealer who was not a threat to national security weeks before the merciless killing outside Woolwich barracks in London in […]
Six cabinet members say we should leave the EU is reforms aren’t agreed “Up to half a dozen members of the cabinet believe Britain should leave the EU if David Cameron fails to deliver a major reform of Britain’s membership terms, according to senior Tory sources….Oliver Letwin, the Cabinet Office minister, became the latest senior […]
Robust Right 1) Paterson lays out his recipe for defeating UKIP ‘Mr Paterson sighs as he reflects on how his fellow Conservatives have tried to tackle the Ukip terrier snapping at David Cameron’s ankle. “The insults must stop. Most Ukip voters want robust and Conservative policies. Lower taxes. Cheaper energy. Honesty about immigration. Fairness for […]
Rochester fallout 1) Cameron set to announce a ban on benefits for EU migrants “David Cameron will launch a counterattack on Ukip this week with a fresh crackdown on immigration and the start of a six-month campaign to depict Nigel Farage as a threat to the economic recovery. … The prime minister is expected to use a […]
Tory Eurosceptics urge Cameron to toughen stance on EU “Eurosceptic Tory MPs are pressing David Cameron to toughen his position on the EU and immigration in order to neutralise the threat from Ukip. The Prime Minister has already promised to set out more details of his proposal to renegotiate looser ties with Brussels. But he […]
By-election 1) UKIP gain Rochester and Strood… “The UK Independence Party has its second elected MP at Westminster after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election by 2,920 votes. Mr Reckless received 16,867 votes to the Conservative candidate Kelly Tolhurst’s 13,947, with Labour’s Naushabah Khan third on 6,713. Turnout was 50.67% in the contest, […]