Maude under attack over civil service reform “The minister responsible for civil service reform, Francis Maude, does not understand leadership, the former head of the service has told the BBC. Lord Butler of Brockwell said what he called “backstairs sniping” showed contempt for the civil service. Mr Maude recently said Whitehall should take more responsibility […]
Energy costs 1) Now the Government wants an energy price freeze “The Big Six energy firms have been asked to freeze prices by the Government until the middle of 2015, it was reported last night. … The Government is calling for energy firms to commit to an immediate freeze on prices as part of a […]
Cameron receives support from France and Germany… but not everyone backs his stance on EU migration “Hours after David Cameron outlined a crackdown on benefit tourism, France and Germany sensationally followed suit with similar plans. … The triple assault pushed Brussels on to the back foot and one of its commissioners was told to quit […]
Enough, says Cameron as he proposes new restrictions on EU migrants “David Cameron will today unveil sweeping new restrictions on access to benefits for EU migrants. The Prime Minister will insist that he shares the public’s ‘concerns’ about a renewed wave of migration from Europe. Ahead of the lifting of controls on newcomers from Romania […]
Tory MPs warn Cameron not to drop green policies… “David Cameron has been given a private warning by more than 25 Tory MPs that he risks splitting the Conservatives if he ditches green policies as a sop to the Right. Normally loyal backbenchers and ministers called the Prime Minister to a showdown in his Commons […]
British Border Staff have approved every single Bulgarian worker “The Home Office has failed to reject a single request from British employers to hire Bulgarian immigrants since 2007, the country’s ambassador said on Sunday. Konstantin Dimitrov said he had never heard of a work permit application being turned down, though Border Agency staff are told […]
The Co-op: a crisis for Labour’s funding… “At least a third of the £850,000 annual donation given to Ed Miliband’s MPs is to be cut, with one senior Labour figure admitting that he believed all funding from the mutual could soon be stopped. Such a move would be a major blow for Miliband in the […]
Cameron puts migrant benefits at the top of his EU agenda… “David Cameron is expected to flesh out his goals next week in a planned renegotiation of our ties with Brussels ahead of an in-out referendum on EU membership due by 2017. … Cabinet sources say the right to ‘shut the door’ on unemployment benefits […]
Bad news for Cameron 1: The Mail takes aim over unemployment, immigration and the EU “Is it too much, therefore, to ask Mr Cameron to stand up for our national interest? If he did, he might even receive the gratitude of the voters in the next election. Those voters know that the country cannot afford […]
Tory backbenchers lash out at Boles “Tory right-wingers denounced Cameron ally Nick Boles as an ‘alien’ yesterday after the planning minister said the party was out of touch with young people. … Leading Tory traditionalist Stewart Jackson, the MP for Peterborough, said: ‘I see Tory modernisers as an alien tribe.’ … Fellow backbencher Douglas Carswell, […]
Attract young voters by running as the National Liberals, suggests Boles “The Conservative Party cannot win a majority unless it wins around young people by “shouting from the rooftops” about liberal policies like gay marriage, a Tory minister has said. Nick Boles, an ally of David Cameron, said that the Conservatives will struggle to win […]
Don’t lift curbs on Romanian migrants, Tories tell Cameron… “Tory MPs will challenge David Cameron over Romanian and Bulgarian migrants today – urging him not to throw open Britain’s borders from next year. Backbench support is coalescing around a plan to extend restrictions on new arrivals from the two eastern European countries, due to expire on January […]
Cameron’s net safety plan: Google promises to block search results linked to child abuse “Internet search reAults linked to child abuse are to be blocked across the world in a stunning U-turn by Google. … The company’s chairman Eric Schmidt, writing in today’s Daily Mail ahead of a Downing Street summit on internet pornography says: […]
Government orders inquiry into union bullying “The government has ordered an inquiry into industrial disputes, including “leverage” tactics by unions. Downing Street said the wide-ranging review would be led by Bruce Carr QC. The announcement follows last month’s Grangemouth dispute, in which union teams reportedly targeted managers’ homes.” – BBC “Employment lawyer Bruce Carr will […]
Hunt says patients to be able to choose their GP from next October… “Patients will be able to register at any doctor’s surgery they like from next October. Traditional catchment areas will be abandoned, allowing people to sign up with a GP near work or their children’s school. Patients will also have the option of […]