DEBATE: Is the timing now right for a new centre party like the Independent Group to flourish? February 22, 2019 Is the timing now right for a new centre party like the Independent Group to flourish? Ben Kelly, commentator for Reaction, says YES. There is no doubt that the odds are stacked against a new centre party, but it’s a case of “if not now, when?”. The far left has completed a successful top-down takeover of [...]
Finally, the Tories have tackled the UK’s deficit February 22, 2019 Credit where it’s due, Philip Hammond has finally conquered the deficit – albeit several years after his predecessor George Osborne originally promised to have done so. While the government is still spending more money than it generates, the UK’s rate of borrowing is considerably below pre-crisis levels. In its analysis of yesterday’s borrowing figures the [...]
Editor’s Notes: Is this new group just a respite centre for Remainers…or something more? February 21, 2019 Are we witnessing the dawn of a new political age, or the spasm of a few politically homeless MPs? The smart answer is that it’s too early to tell, but if I were forced off the fence I’d say the latter is more likely. There will almost certainly be more defections, from Labour as well [...]
Huawei ramps up $2bn plan to address security worries as global pressure mounts February 21, 2019 Huawei has ramped up its $2bn (£1.5bn) project to address British security concerns as pressure mounts on the Chinese firm over spying fears. The tech giant will present its plan to resolve the problems by the end of the first half of this year and may fork out more than the $2bn originally set aside, [...]
Elon Musk denies claims Tesla is getting involved in bitcoin February 21, 2019 Elon Musk has said Tesla has no plans to get involved with bitcoin at the moment, believing that the cryptocurrency is not an efficient use of the company’s resources. The Tesla chief executive praised cryptocurrency as a potential replacement for paper money in an interview on FYI, a podcast by ARK Investment published today. “Crypto is [...]
Theresa May tells quitting MPs the Conservative Party is not ‘warped’ like Labour February 21, 2019 Theresa May has insisted the Conservative party has not become “warped” after three resigning MPs accused it of being in the control of zealots. In an open letter to Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen – all of whom quit the Tories on Wednesday – the PM rejected any comparisons between her party and [...]
Trump urges US businesses to step up 5G and ‘6G’ networks February 21, 2019 US President Donald Trump sparked confusion today as he appeared to soften the country’s stance towards Huawei and called for the rollout of ‘6G’ technology. In a series of tweets, Trump urged US businesses to step up the move to 5G technology and called for the adoption of 6G – which does not exist – [...]
Tories and Labour brace for more defections to Independent Group as Brexit patience wears thin February 21, 2019 The newly formed Independent Group could soon be welcoming more disaffected Labour and Tory MPs as a number of senior figures took to the airwaves to warn of more resignations. Former Tory MP Heidi Allen, who resigned from the party yesterday along with Remain-supporting colleagues Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston, told ITV last night that [...]
Shamima Begum has got what she wanted: a one-way ticket out of British society February 21, 2019 We should shed no tears for Shamima Begum. Britain’s Islamic State (IS) poster girl has been splashed across various newspapers and on numerous media outlets on account of her re-emergence in a Syrian refugee camp, four years after she voluntarily left these shores for the embrace of IS. It turned out that Begum – now with [...]
DEBATE: Should we slash post-Brexit tariffs on food imports to offer consumers cheaper goods? February 21, 2019 Should we slash post-Brexit tariffs on food imports to offer consumers cheaper goods? Bill Wirtz, policy analyst at the Consumer Choice Center, says YES. Contrary what the protectionists will tell you, tariffs don’t only hurt the country upon which they are imposed. If the government decides to maintain import tariffs on food post-Brexit, it is [...]