General Election 2019: A Summary
Following months of uncertainty, it seems a new lease of life has been injected into a paralysed Parliament. Months ago, a Conservative majority was an inconceivable prospect, where the political disfigurement and ever widening divide in Westminster mirrored the country. To many, Boris Johnson was the last bet. An outspoken, career driven journalist-turned politician, who […]
The Saturday Showdown
There’s a strange atmosphere in Westminster this week. The usual hustle and bustle of London is on hold – overwhelmed by occasional musical outbursts from Extinction Rebellion infused with police sirens, car horns and the occasional horse’s bray. While the worlds around it clash, the heart of British politics sits alongside the Thames, serenely waiting. […]
Back to Parliament… again
Back to Law School, Parliament… again: MPs are set to return to Westminster after the Government’s prorogation of Parliament was brought to a premature end following the Supreme Court’s conclusion that Parliament was prorogued unlawfully. All eyes turn to the Prime Minister. Despite the English High Court’s original decision that the shutting down of Parliament […]
Conference Season – The Liberal Democrats
It’s conference season and first up; the Liberal Democrats. A weekend that was filled with policy debates and cringe fringe events, began with another Conservative defection and ended with a rallying speech, the first for new leader Jo Swinson. After much speculation that another MP was set to join the party, Sam Gyimah became the […]
Housing – The Government and Labour’s Prospective Reforms
On 28th August 2019, proposals to reform the housing market in favour of younger and first-time buyers were announced by the Government. The central proposal under consideration was a change to shared ownership, with a reduction in the size of the instalments purchasers are required to buy to increase their holding of a shared ownership […]
All but extinct: West of England JSP Inspectors create crater in council plans
Yesterday, scientists in the USA declared that they had traced the worst day on Earth which took place 66 million years ago when a 12km-wide rock smashed into the planet. Whilst perhaps more understated, the West of England Joint Spatial Plan Inspectors’ ‘second letter’ hit the doormats of our four local councils and left a […]
Back to Parliament
Back to School, Parliament: MPs are back and raring to go as today they return to Parliament after the summer recess. Refreshed, re-energised – determined. Westminster will be the setting of a theatrical display of (dis)loyalty, collusion and opportunity. Chaos looms and uncertainty is yet again the main descriptor of UK politics. So, in the […]
Is Boris gearing up for an early election? Sajid Javid’s fast-track spending review assessed.
Earlier this month, Chancellor Sajid Javid delivered a surprise announcement on his plans to fast-track a one-year spending review to be completed by September 2019 in preparation for Brexit. This means that Philip Hammond’s three-year Spending Review, previously planned for this summer, will now be delayed until 2020. On the surface, Mr. Javid’s motivation behind […]
A Government of National Unity?
Boris Johnson has been Prime Minister for less than a month, and already his premiership is being challenged. After a significant win for the ‘Remain Alliance’ in Brecon and Radnorshire, the Conservative Government’s majority was cut to just one. Unsurprisingly, the Johnson administration carries on – down but not yet done. Right now, remain-leaning MPs […]