By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, announced his Electricity Market Reform White Paper in the Commons yesterday. The White Paper plans for £110bn of investment in electricity generation over the coming years. In the questions that followed Mr Huhne's statement, two Conservative Members (coincidentally, both […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Ben Bradshaw, who was the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for the latter part of the Brown Government, has admitted that the last Labour government discussed in Cabinet whether to hold a public inquiry into phone-hacking, but decided against doing so. Bradshaw was on BBC Two's Daily […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Redoubtable Labour Member Chris Bryant managed to secure an emergency debate in the Commons yesterday, following Prime Minister's Questions and a statement by the Prime Minister on the situation in Afghanistan, to discuss the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Although the debate was abused by some Members (Labour's […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter This little exchange between Gavin Williamson and the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke (pictured right) might amuse readers: Gavin Williamson (South Staffordshire) (Con): I understand that my hon. Friend recently received the very prestigious award of tax personality of the year. I am somewhat concerned that this glorious […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Unfortunately Tuesday's main business, the reading (and passing) of the Finance (No. 3) Bill, was more like a left-wing meeting than a proper debate. Labour MPs proposed various ways of taxing banks, including a "Robin Hood Tax" (a tax on financial transactions), and attacked the Coalition's bank levy as too […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Member for North East Somerset, has, in his time in the House, distinguished himself as a defender of traditional British institutions. In the debate that followed the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on the Civil List, Mr Rees-Mogg defended and celebrated our monarchy. His key points were: We […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter I know many, perhaps most, readers will have given up on BBC One's Question Time, but I must still note last night's episode. It was extra-ordinarily slanted towards the left. Consider the composition of the panel: Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers Polly Toynbee, Guardian […]
By Matthew Barrett Follow Matthew on Twitter Earlier on this week, the head of public-sector union UNISON, Dave Prentis, used belligerent and class-war rhetoric to call for "a campaign for strike action without precedent". You might think it would be politically sensible for Ed Miliband and his team to shut this story down and remove themselves […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Tony Blair appeared on BBC One’s Politics Show today, and made more Coalition-friendly comments, continuing a recent trend.
By Matthew Barrett Follow Matthew on Twitter Dave Prentis is the General Secretary of UNISON, one of Britain's largest unions, and one with a huge grip on public services. He is also auditioning for the position of 2011's Arthur Scargill, if this speech is anything to go by. In the above video, Prentis starts off with some […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Yesterday saw the Second Reading in the Commons of the Pensions Bill – the legislation currently in the news which accelerates the existing timetable for increasing the State Pension age to 66. This will mean the pension age will be increased from 60 to 65 for women by 2018, before being […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter As Jonathan Isaby reported last week, Friday saw the Second Reading of Christopher Chope's Private Member's Bill, the Employment Opportunities Bill, which would allow "freely consenting adults" to opt out of the minimum wage. Mr Chope takes an interest in employment legislation, and has sought to change the minimum wage […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter There are many forces inside and connected with the Labour Party that are discouraging modernisation. The unions. The lack of private sector voices in the parliamentary party. And, the subject of this post, the Left-wing pundits. There is a thoughtful centre left commentariat but there is a much bigger […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter One of the left's main objections to the Coalition's Free Schools policy since the election last year has been the possibility of religious groups setting up schools. This left-wing opposition has involved smearing people of faith and whipping up fears about the spread of religious schools (as if the […]