Politics

A Times article reported that charities and companies working within the UC (Universal Credit) parameters have had to sign clauses to ensure they don’t ruin the reputation of Esther McVey, Work and Pensions Secretary. Around 22 organisations, covering around £1.8 billion, have signed these gagging clauses, which the Government denies. However a Government spokesman confirmed contracts did include references to ensure both parties "understand how to interact with each other and protect their best interests". The Times reported that the...

A worrying report by the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) has indicated that the Government is not prepared for a shortage of medicines from a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. Chairwoman of the Committee, Meg Hillier, said: 'Government cannot afford to drag its feet on this critical issue.” The report stated that it was “worrying” that the Health Department “could not assure us of its plans to safeguard the supply of medicines after the UK has exited the European Union”. Hillier said: “While the...

Thangam Debbonaire is calling for the memorial of Edward Colston to be taken down

The work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, has admitted some families will be “worse off” under universal credit. These comments contradict the Number 10 who have said Universal Credit will not adversely affect people who are able to access it. This week it was reported that she told a cabinet meeting that half of lone parents and about two-thirds of working-age couples with children would lose around £2,400 a year. This comes after Gordon Brown and Sir John Major warned...

The Oxford University Conservatives Association have added the infamous drinking society to their list of proscribed organisations.

During yesterday’s PMQs Theresa May announced the Government had appointed a suicide prevention minister, the first time this role had been introduced in the UK. It has now emerged that the new minister, Jackie Doyle-Price has made jokes about suicide. She had previously told a newspaper in her Thurrock constituency, that she would rather jump off Beachy head (a notorious suicide spot) than defect from the Tories to UKIP. The comments were made back in 2014 after Douglas Carswell had...

The National Police Chiefs’ Council have said that the US President’s four day trip to the UK cost almost £18m The police used thousands of officers, over four force areas, to ensure his safety during his visit. This show of force was the biggest mobilisation since 2011, when London, and other cities, faced large scale rioting. NPCC chair Sara Thornton said: "Nearly every force supported the operation with nearly 10,000 officers deployed from all over the country, performing over 26,000...

Sir John Major has become the second former Prime Minister in less than a week to criticise Universal Credit, warning the Conservative Party could run into the same problems they had with  poll tax in the late 1980s. Riots broke out across Britain under Margaret Thatcher’s tenure in protest against the Community Charge (colloquially known as the "poll tax") which were considered regressive taxes that shift the tax burden from the rich to the poor. And the same arguments are...

"A series of secret internal inquiries reveal that Conservative Ministers were repeatedly warned of the policy’s shortcomings"