Prime Minister branded “blackmailer” after holding EU expansion hostage to migration reform “David Cameron was branded a ‘blackmailer’ in Europe last night as he vowed Britain would veto any further expansion of the EU unless migration rules are reformed. The Prime Minister demanded new rules to apply to countries joining the EU, ensuring their economies […]
Borders 1) Cameron: Give me a tough deal on immigration, or I’ll campaign to leave the EU ‘David Cameron will pledge a tough crackdown on welfare payments to make Britain a less attractive destination today, but will resist calls to fight the election on a pledge to cap EU immigrants. The prime minister will leave […]
Scotland 1) Holyrood takes control of income tax “Scotland is to be handed control of income tax as part of major concessions after its ‘no’ vote in the independence referendum. In a cross-party deal viewed as a significant step towards a federal Britain, a range of powers will be devolved to Holyrood. Under the agreement, […]
Woolwich report 1) Security officials made blunders “Security officials made a string of blunders in tracking the fanatics who butchered Lee Rigby, an official report said yesterday. … Agents dismissed Michael Adebolajo as a drug dealer who was not a threat to national security weeks before the merciless killing outside Woolwich barracks in London in […]
Six cabinet members say we should leave the EU is reforms aren’t agreed “Up to half a dozen members of the cabinet believe Britain should leave the EU if David Cameron fails to deliver a major reform of Britain’s membership terms, according to senior Tory sources….Oliver Letwin, the Cabinet Office minister, became the latest senior […]
Robust Right 1) Paterson lays out his recipe for defeating UKIP ‘Mr Paterson sighs as he reflects on how his fellow Conservatives have tried to tackle the Ukip terrier snapping at David Cameron’s ankle. “The insults must stop. Most Ukip voters want robust and Conservative policies. Lower taxes. Cheaper energy. Honesty about immigration. Fairness for […]
Rochester fallout 1) Cameron set to announce a ban on benefits for EU migrants “David Cameron will launch a counterattack on Ukip this week with a fresh crackdown on immigration and the start of a six-month campaign to depict Nigel Farage as a threat to the economic recovery. … The prime minister is expected to use a […]
Tory Eurosceptics urge Cameron to toughen stance on EU “Eurosceptic Tory MPs are pressing David Cameron to toughen his position on the EU and immigration in order to neutralise the threat from Ukip. The Prime Minister has already promised to set out more details of his proposal to renegotiate looser ties with Brussels. But he […]
By-election 1) UKIP gain Rochester and Strood… “The UK Independence Party has its second elected MP at Westminster after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election by 2,920 votes. Mr Reckless received 16,867 votes to the Conservative candidate Kelly Tolhurst’s 13,947, with Labour’s Naushabah Khan third on 6,713. Turnout was 50.67% in the contest, […]
Rochester 1) Farage denies that UKIP would repatriate EU migrants, after Reckless comments… “Nigel Farage has dismissed claims that Ukip backs the repatriation of EU migrants who have lived and worked in Britain for years. … He insists the party would allow lawful migrants to stay – even if the UK leaves the European Union. … […]
MPs make flying visits to Rochester and Strood ‘Conservatives ordered to hit the campaign trail in Rochester and Strood have been spending as little as 57 minutes in the constituency. In whistle-stop visits to the Kent seat, expected to fall to Ukip in a by-election tomorrow, some MPs have spoken to a handful of voters. […]
Osborne echoes Cameron’s economic warnings… “Mr Osborne said: ‘We’ve discovered Japan has gone into recession, Europe remains very weak, and although the British economy is performing well we’re not immune to these things. … ‘It’s all the more reason why we’ve got to go on working through our long-term economic plan.’” – Daily Mail “David […]
Cameron: the global economy is at risk; British medical student in ISIS murder video; Major: UKIP is ‘anti-everything’.
Putin leaves G20 early after clashes with Harper and Cameron “In an encounter described as “robust” by Downing Street, Cameron warned Putin that he was at a “fork in the road” in his relations with the West and could face further sanctions. The prime minister said: “If Russia continues to destabilise Ukraine and we continue […]
EU 1) Hammond: We’ll never fully control our borders inside the EU “In a forthright interview, Mr Hammond said ‘destabilising movements’ across Europe in recent years had seen ‘large waves of migrants’ settling in Britain, putting pressure on public services. He said Germany should realise that if we do not get new powers to at […]