Politics

Gerard Batten has said he would support bringing Tommy Robinson into the party, but that it isn’t likely to happen in the near future. Speaking ahead of the UKIP 2018 conference the newly elected party leader confirmed Robinson could be given a route into mainstream politics. In a Sky News interview he denied courting the far right before confirming previous statements that he would welcome Robinson into the party. The comments come just days after Batten attended an anti-Muslim march...

The Labour Group on Hounslow Council has voted to support a motion calling for a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal on the eve of the Labour Party conference. The 50-strong ruling Labour Group joins neighbouring Richmond upon Thames Council in formally supporting the People’s Vote campaign. It will write to both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn urging them to support a referendum on the final Brexit deal or no deal. The group – among of the largest of...

Theresa May's social housing pledge has been dubbed a non-announcement by the former Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis.  The government's £2 billion pledge was ridiculed on Twitter this morning after it got a warm reception from the mainstream media. Despite giving just a tenth of what Scotland is spending on social housing pro rata the PM still declared that the government's scheme is a big step removing the "stigma" of social housing. May, along with most other news outlets, failed to mention...

Migrant workers from the European Union contribute £2,300 more in taxes than the average Brit, a government commissioned study has revealed. New research carried out by the Migration Advisory Committee on behalf of the Home Office found EU migrant workers pay in £78,000 more than they take out in public services and benefits over their lifetime. Immigration was a key part of the campaign to leave the bloc, with many dubious claims made over the impact it has had on the...

The IMF had a stark warning to the UK ahead of the final Brexit negotiations. They said that a no-deal Brexit would inflict “substantial costs” to the UK economy. The IMF expects Britain's economy to grow by 1.5% in both 2018 and 2019 if a broad Brexit agreement is struck. However, any Brexit would “entail costs,” but a no deal scenario would be a “significantly worse outcome.” Christine Lagarde, the IMF's managing director, told a news conference in London: "Those...

A shocking new study has discovered that over 14 million people, 4.5 million of them children, and living in poverty. The investigation also discovered that 12% of the total UK population is in “persistent” poverty, having spent all or most of the last four years below the breadline. The statistics, by Social Metrics Commission, have been gathered from a new measure to calculate social disadvantage. The commission includes experts from academia, and from organisations such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation,...

Economists at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) say growth will slow to 1.1 per cent this year. The influential business lobby group is also highly concerned of the impact of a no-deal Brexit. Shockingly, this would be the slowest rate of growth since the global financial crisis of 2009. The previous prediction was 1.3 per cent, still a sluggish growth rate for the UK economy. Adam Marshall, the group’s director general, said the UK economy is slowing to a...

Former foreign secretary spoke as arrived back from America

Another public vote on Brexit was never inevitable, or something I ever thought I’d have to call for. But the government’s abject failure – and the huge risk we face.. means that giving people a fresh say is now the right – and only – approach left