Politics
This is what happened to the pound during Philip Hammond Budget speech
Few politicians would proclaim to have magical powers, but today Philip Hammond seemed to develop the ability to make currencies drop on every word he says. Delivering a crucial Budget to parliament the pound plummeted as he rifled through a raft of shaky economic indicators. He acknowledged that the economic outlook for the country is deteriorating, setting growth forecasts under 2 per cent for the next five years. He then announced that he will put aside an extra £3 billion...
Revealed: Theresa May has to rely on coaching Tory MP’s to shout Corbyn down at PMQs and stand looking supportive
Watch PMQs carefully and see if you can spot what has been dubbed Theresa May’s “kill team” or “K-team.” The Sunday Telegraph recently exposed a "precision bombing exercise" choreographed by new Chief Whip Julian Smith to "shout Corbyn down and put him off his stride". Due to worries about Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party’s going confidence at Prime Minister’s Questions as they land more punches on the Prime Minister, and concerns about Theresa May’s ability to defend the government’s...
Tories strip “right to equality” from EU withdrawal Bill
The Conservative party narrowly voted against Labour's bid to retain EU human rights measures in UK law post-Brexit last night by 311 votes to 301. Just one Conservative MP, Ken Clarke, defied the Government whip and voted for the motion to retain the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, put forward by Jeremy Corbyn. Civic organisations warned over the weekend that individual rights to privacy, equality, freedom of expression, fair working conditions, a fair trial, access to a lawyer and the protection of...
Study reveals fascinating inter-generational split over trust of economy
A new study has revealed a fascinating inter-generational divide over trust on the economy. Despite both parties being neck-and-neck overall, the Sky Data poll found huge splits between young and old. Of 18 to 34-year-olds, 62 per cent want Labour in charge of the nation's finances, versus 28 per cent for the Tories. Jeremy Corbyn's party also scrapes a narrow win among 35 to 54-year-olds, who favour it 41 per cent to the Conservatives' 39 per cent. But among those...
On eve of budget, this letter outlines harsh realities of squeezed Britain to Phillip Hammond
Debbie Abrahams explains unemployment and making work pay in scathing letter to Chancellor Following the Chancellor's Exchequer bizarre gaffe on the weekend when he claimed that there are no unemployed people, the shadow secretary for work and pensions has written to him on the eve of his autumn budget pleading with him to acknowledge how squeezed many in the country are and offering to take him to visit one of the many foodbanks that have opened around the country under...
Watch: If Labour MPs had swallowed their pride 6 months ago, they’d have won the election
Last night's BBC documentary on the Labour election campaign had a very telling moment that appears to have been filmed in MP Stephen Kinnock's campaign in the run up to the June 8 General Election. A campaigner for Labour's MP for the Welsh constituency of Aberavon makes clear how if certain MP's had got behind party leader Jeremy Corbyn a lot sooner, the result of the election could have been very different. And imagine how different the political landscape of...
Corbyn’s opponents in the press “running out of ideas”
Jeremy Corbyn's opponents in the press have been accused of "running out of ideas" after The Times' Senior Political Correspondent accused the Labour leader of being Trump-esque. The allegation came after a chance screengrab captured Corbyn striking a similar hand-pinch pose to the Republican President during a speech. Lucy Fisher also noted that the new Labour website "does nothing to dispel personality cult accusations" by featuring Corbyn speaking to "adoring fans". Her attack has since been dubbed "embarrassing" and has...
Brexit has already cost the average worker a week’s pay
Brexit has already cost the average worker a week's pay because of low real wage growth and higher inflation. A new report from the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics has revealed prices since the referendum have shot up while real wages have now shrunk for six consecutive months. The report for the UK in a Changing Europe is the first detailed statistical analysis of the referendum’s effect on inflation, wages and living standards. It estimated that...
Watch: Philip Hammond just forgot about 1.42 million unemployed people live on TV
Philip Hammond claimed there are "no unemployed people" on this morning's Andrew Marr Show. The Chancellor made a TV appearance ahead of the Budget on Wednesday, which has been dubbed a make-or-break moment for the embattled front bencher. Hammond made the statement as he painted a rosy picture of an economy bouncing back from the long downturn, despite new global figures showing that the UK is now bottom of the growth league among major economies in Europe and North America. He asked "where are...