Ministers threaten second referendum if renegotiation fails “Cabinet ministers are warning there will be a second referendum on whether the UK should quit the European Union if David Cameron fails to win a radical new deal in Brussels…A major split has now opened up between Mr Cameron and ministers who want to be free to […]
Merkel says EU Treaty change is possible… “Angela Merkel has said she does not rule out future treaty changes in Europe and will be a “constructive partner” to the UK in getting reforms. After talks with David Cameron, the German leader said her “clear-cut” view was that the UK should stay in the EU. While […]
Osborne asks the MoD to make £1 billion of further cuts ‘George Osborne is seeking to cut the budgets of most government departments this year by an extra 5 per cent in a move that raises the chances of Britain missing a crucial Nato target for defence spending. The Treasury has told each ministry, with […]
Cameron sets out agenda to “renew” the UK “David Cameron vowed on Wednesday to reset relations with the EU, recast the United Kingdom and invigorate the economy, as he pledged not to waste ‘a single moment’ as premier. Seizing on the momentum delivered by this month’s surprise outright election victory, Mr Cameron is rushing to […]
Queen’s Speech 1) The first programme for majority Conservative government in almost 20 years ‘A series of ‘blue collar conservative’ bills, appealing to ordinary working class families, are expected to form the centrepiece of the Queen’s Speech. These will included new laws expanding childcare, making it easier to buy a home and creating more three million […]
Cameron faces revolt over seat reduction plans… “The alterations are expected to benefit the Conservatives overall, but more than a dozen of the party’s MPs would be left scrambling to find new seats after seeing their own abolished. Some senior figures are warning that the government would lose a vote to approve the changes after […]
Minority voters abandoning Labour gave Tories substantial boost “One million votes from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities helped put David Cameron back into Downing Street, according to new research into attitudes among minority voters. Labour remains well ahead with BAME voters on 52%, finds research by the thinkthank British Future, but the gap […]
Reform 1) Anonymous member of the Government threatens to resign over Human Rights Act “Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Conservative figure said the proposals would undermine vital protections for British citizens who can use the European Court of Human Rights to appeal against injustices they suffer in the UK. The individual suggested it may […]
Cameron’s bid for renegotiation meets mixed reaction in Latvia… “The Prime Minister said his pledge to claw back powers from the EU would take ‘patience and tenacity’ and warned he did not rule out campaigning to pull Britain out of the union. Mr Cameron made the remarks after holding his first talks with other European […]
Cameron promises to get a grip as immigration adds equivalent to Coventry to population in a year “Mass immigration added a city the size of Coventry to the UK population last year as record numbers continued to pour in. The revelation that net migration hit 318,000 in 2014 – the second highest total ever recorded […]
Cameron to EU: “Drop the term ‘single currency’ or we’re out” “David Cameron is demanding that a special status for the United Kingdom be enshrined in the European Union as a way of keeping Britain in the Brussels club. The prime minister wants to force the EU to acknowledge that the euro is not Europe’s […]
Deflation arrives, for the first time since 1960 ‘Deflation has officially struck the UK for the first time in 55 years due to tumbling food and energy prices. The consumer prices index of inflation finally fell to -0.1 per cent in April, after threatening to turn negative for months, figures from the Office for National […]
EU Referendum Bill to top Queen’s Speech “A Cabinet source said legislation paving the way for an in/out vote is likely to be the first Bill published after the new Government sets out its programme next Wednesday. The decision means that ministers will be able to force through the law by summer next year even […]
Cameron promises a seven-day NHS… “David Cameron will today pledge to hire thousands more GPs to make England’s NHS the world’s first fully seven-day health service. In his first major speech since the Tories’ Election victory, the Prime Minister will promise that the NHS is ‘safe in our hands’. But his plans for a seven-day […]
No more cuts, Tory council leaders tell Osborne “Tory council leaders across England and Wales have presented a united front with Labour and Lib Dem-run local authorities as they warn the chancellor, George Osborne, that another round of funding cuts would devastate local services and harm the most vulnerable in society. In a letter to […]