News

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor With less then a fortnight until the budget, the Chancellor is worried about a severe backlash from richer voters over his pension proposals. In response Osborne has had to ditch his package of pension reforms, including tax relief for high earners, due to concern that these changes would annoy Conservative voters. The proposals included creating a “pensions Isa” that would have eliminated pension tax relief for all those in work. An ally of the chancellor...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Prime Minister really should stop trying to do accents. This time he tried a Scottish one, I think, speaking at the annual conference of the Scottish Conservative Party. He told the crowd he went into a chip shop after a rugby match at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and the man behind the counter said: "What can we get for you, humble pie?" Cameron's attempted punchline was supposedly the attempt at the joke. Watch his "Scottish" accent...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Since July 2015 fourteen MPs have had their credit cards suspended for not providing evidence of their spending on time or making the repayments. In total a debt of £27k has led to the blocking of their credit cards. Ipsa (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) issues MPs with credit cards to pay for a variety of items such as travel, accommodation and stationery. The politicians then have to prove the spending was allowable within a month,...

North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered the country's nuclear weapons be readied for use at any time, according to reports on the Korean Central News Agency. He told military leaders the country should revise its military posture to be ready to launch pre-emptive strikes following new sanctions imposed by the UN. Although it is still unclear how advanced North Korea's nuclear weapon programme is, the actions will be seen as further acts of volatility from the Supreme Leader. He...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Emmanuel Macron, the French finance minister, has warned that if the UK left the EU it could lead to migrants crossing the channel “unchecked.” He believes the British withdrawal from European project would bring to a close the 2003 treaty that allows UK border guards to be stationed in Calais. It has been widely reported that the area around the coastal conurbation is the makeshift home to thousands of migrants aiming to enter the UK...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Iain Duncan Smith has aired his anger at his £30-a-week cuts being blocked in a letter. He has promised to push through the cuts anyway regardless of the warning from his own human rights watchdog. The House of Lords has twice blocked his attempts to cut ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) by a total of £30 a week. The letter sent to Tory MPs by Smith warned his colleagues to “strongly resist” the Lords’ and...

Mother's Day gives us a ready-made opportunity to express our love and gratitude to those who raised us. Lots of us also recognise other caregivers in society, but how many will be extending their thoughts to other species? Very few, probably, but the reality is that the billions of animals used in the food, clothing and entertainment industries will not be spending Mother's Day, or any other day for that matter, with their offspring. Farmed animals get the worst deal,...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Labour leader has pulled no punches and savaged his party’s political and economic record under Brown and Blair. During his first major speech to business chiefs he attacked the pervious leaders for an "unsustainable" handling of the economy. Jezza tore apart New Labour for its 'light touch’ regulation of the banking sector, the heavy reliance on PFI schemes and inability to raise wages for the lowest paid. Corbyn has clearly tried to create economic...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Salford Council have brought a in Public Space Protection Order to cover the Salford Quays area hoping to curb anti-social behaviour. If anyone uses “foul and abusive language,” it will deemed a criminal offence due to the workings of the order. However, it does not stipulate what words are “foul and abusive.” If anyone is nabbed doing it, they will be slapped with an on-the-spot fine. This order will impact on Manchester United fans on...