Home Secretary Theresa May and Mayor of London Boris Johnson both addressed freedom of movement at the Conservative Party Conference this week, albeit it in very distinct tones and from different angles. May underlined the lack of economic advantage that EU immigration brings the UK, while Johnson discussed British concerns over immigration within the framework… [Read More]
There seems to be no constituency rising as rapidly up the Westminster politicians’ priority list now. Today it was the prime minister wringing his hands about the plight of the frustrated first-time buyer and ‘Generation Rent’. The widespread distribution of housing wealth among the mass of the population that had been achieved by the end of… [Read More]
There has been much dissatisfaction among junior doctors since they became aware of the main proposals for their new contracts. Most of the outrage is provoked by what the contract deems to be ‘normal working hours’, the hours doctors work without receiving overtime payments. These will be extended from the current 7am to 7pm to… [Read More]
Speaking at the Labour conference yesterday, shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn argued that his party should campaign for continued EU membership regardless of the outcome of David Cameron’s renegotiation. He reasoned, probably correctly, that if Cameron achieved an exemption from EU employment law, Labour could opt back in when it regained power. He was supported… [Read More]
The uncertainty that hangs over our relationship with the EU is a stark reflection of David Cameron’s lack of clarity over certain issues. The prime minister took a long time to even establish which side of his divided party he was on – those who are keen to remain in the EU or the sceptics… [Read More]
Today Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, has said she is willing for Scotland to take up to 2,000 Syrian refugees. Building on her earlier willingness to accept 1,000 and to house some personally, Sturgeon met foreign secretary Philip Hammond on Monday, arguing that Britain must extend ‘immediate help to more people and look to… [Read More]
The housing minister, Brandon Lewis, would like to see a million homes built during this parliament. He would regard this as “success”, he says. While this is a step forward – ministers have long refused to put a number on their housebuilding ambitions – it is still not enough. That would be 200,000 homes a year,… [Read More]
Britain’s EU membership is not just dividing the country’s politicians; it is also dividing UK business. This week, a survey from the Federation of Small Businesses showed that small businesses in Britain are not overwhelmingly for or against EU membership – with 47% voting to stay in, 41% voting to leave, and 11% being undecided. But… [Read More]
The fact that the Cancer Drugs Fund has not been collecting data on patient outcome for those it has been prescribing for seems inexcusable. The fund was created in 2011 to give cancer patients access to expensive, non-NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) approved drugs and has often caused controversy over its perceived lack… [Read More]
Over the weekend Germany closed its Austrian border to force its EU neighbours to accept more asylum seekers themselves, rather than passing them on to Germany. It still accepts Syrians with valid travel documents, and EU citizens. In addition to the thousands of refugees already in Germany, Munich saw 20,000 arrive by train before the… [Read More]