Cameron frustrated as Britain dragged into Greek bailout “Britain has been dragged into the eurozone’s efforts to rescue Greece… Disregarding strong objections from British ministers, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed using a mothballed EU-wide rescue fund — the European Financial Stability Mechanism— to give Greece the €7 billion it needs to cover debt repayments […]
Javid proposes tough new strike rules ‘David Cameron wants to stop strikes being called on the back of derisory ballot turnouts. Bullying on the picket line and on social media will also be outlawed. ‘Rolling mandates’ that allow union leaders to keep calling strikes indefinitely will be ended. Business Secretary Sajid Javid says the shake-up […]
Osborne faces off against EU bid to force UK to bail out Greece “Chancellor George Osborne will today attempt to fight off a European bid to force the British public to contribute almost £1billion towards any bailout of Greece. Sources close to Jean-Claude Juncker, the arch-federalist European Commission president, say he wants the UK to […]
Cameron orders military restructuring to focus on ISIS… “Britain is to spend billions more on spy planes, unmanned drones and the SAS to take the fight to Islamic State. David Cameron has ordered top brass to restructure the Armed Forces to focus on countering the threat posed by Islamist extremists at home and abroad. Britain’s […]
Cameron accused of cronyism over 50 new peerages “David Cameron will risk a row over cronyism by packing about 50 new peers into the House of Lords. Allies such as his long-serving aide Kate Fall, party donors and favoured former ministers are expected to be among dozens of Conservatives ennobled by the prime minister. Liberal […]
PM to seek opt out from EU employment laws “David Cameron is calling for the return of Sir John Major’s opt-out from EU employment laws as part of his renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with Brussels. The prime minister has held secret talks to claw back the 1992 opt-out that was surrendered by Tony Blair when […]
Osborne 1) Ministers empowered to force through housebuilding “George Osborne will today order sweeping reforms of the planning system to fast-track the construction of more than 500,000 homes. New laws will allow ministers to take over planning authorities in leafy areas that refuse to meet targets for house building. Treasury sources last night stressed that […]
A chorus of praise for Osborne’s first Tory Budget: Fearless George slays the dragons “George Osborne fearlessly slayed a string of dragons yesterday with the most radical Budget in years. He stunned the Left by introducing a £9-an-hour living wage, saying Britain ‘deserves a pay rise’. He also took his sword to tax breaks for […]
Budget Day 1) A middle class tax cut ‘George Osborne will today unveil a major tax cut for Middle Britain. The Chancellor will announce a significant increase in the starting point for paying 40p tax – rewarding employees squeezed in the last Parliament. And he will let millions of poorer workers keep more of what […]
Osborne 1) Sunday trading restrictions may be scrapped “Sunday trading restrictions could be axed under plans to be announced by George Osborne in tomorrow’s Budget. The Chancellor wants to hand power to councils and elected mayors to scrap some or all of the rules governing the opening hours of larger stores on Sundays. The move will […]
Greece votes No – the morning after. What part of “Oxi” don’t you understand? “Democracy in Greece spoke on Sunday and the response was a resounding “no” to demands for more of the excoriating austerity that over five long years has been the price of keeping Europe’s weakest economy afloat. In a referendum seen as […]
Osborne raids BBC to pay welfare bill… “George Osborne has launched a £650m budget raid on the BBC to help cover Britain’s benefits bill, forcing the corporation to meet the cost of free television licences for the over-75s. Senior government sources say a deal is close that will force the BBC to take on the […]
Cameron dragged into row with high-profile charity boss… “Camila Batmanghelidjh confirmed this morning that she was standing down as chief executive of the charity Kids Company after the government allegedly refused to hand over any more public money until she quit. The charity has suffered severe financial problems and is reliant on taxpayers for around […]
ISIS 1) Cameron will seek Commons support for airstrikes in Syria ‘David Cameron believes Britain should launch airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria without further clearance from the UN, Downing Street has indicated. RAF raids could begin in September at the soonest after Labour’s leadership suggested the party was open to backing the move. Harriet […]
Cameron tells SNP told they will never overrule English MPs on English matters… “David Cameron has said the wishes of English MPs will never again be ‘overruled’ by those in Scotland as he paved the way for England-only votes. The Prime Minister slapped down claims that he was creating a ‘second class status’ for Scottish […]