Category: David Cameron

PMQs: Cameron tries to paint Tories as big spenders

February 8, 2012 1:28 pm by Kiran Stacey

When Andy Burnham returned to the health beat for Labour, some in Andrew Lansley’s team were delighted. This is the man, they pointed out, who said he would not ringfence spending on the NHS. He even said that to do so would be “irresponsible” – hardly a vote-winning tactic.

David Cameron clearly thinks the same thing – that by shifting the focus of the health debate onto Burnham and his refusal to promise extra money for the NHS, he can nullify the controversy surrounding his health bill.

That is why, several times during today’s session of prime minister’s questions, Cameron insisted:

That’s what you get if you get Labour: no money, no reform, no good health service.

Continue reading: “PMQs: Cameron tries to paint Tories as big spenders”

Tags: Andrew Lansley, Health bill, pmqs
Posted in Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, UK politics | Permalink

Letters between Huhne and Cameron

February 3, 2012 11:25 am by Kiran Stacey

Here is what Chris Huhne wrote to David Cameron in his resignation letter, and what the PM wrote in return:

This letter is to submit with much regret my resignation as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. I intend to mount a robust defence against the charges brought against me, and I have concluded that it would be distracting both to that effort and to my official duties if I were to continue in office.

Continue reading: “Letters between Huhne and Cameron”

Tags: Chris Huhne
Posted in David Cameron, Lib Dems, UK politics | Permalink

PMQs: A battle of two halves

February 1, 2012 1:07 pm by Kiran Stacey

It was an interesting decision by Ed Miliband not to ask David Cameron about Fred Goodwin’s knighthood today, especially when he could have pushed the PM into the uncomfortable position of calling for other bankers to lose their titles. That possibly reflects a growing sense of unease, as voiced by Alistair Darling this morning, that one individual may have been unfairly singled out in a politically-motivated attack.

Instead, the Labour leader developed his theme of unfairness at the top of society, calling on the prime minister to implement the suggestions of the Walker review and ensure that banks have to disclose how many people they employ who earn over £1m a year.

The legislation to make this possible was passed under the last Labour government and with cross-party support, Miliband pointed out, why wouldn’t the PM enact it?

Continue reading: “PMQs: A battle of two halves”

Tags: Benefits cap, high pay, NHS, pmqs
Posted in Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, UK politics | Permalink

Why it matters if Work Programme providers struggle

January 25, 2012 5:44 pm by Kiran Stacey

David Cameron was asked in today’s prime minister’s questions about the critical report from the government’s auditors on the government’s flagship back to work scheme.

The National Audit Office warned that providers of the £5bn Work Programme are working to overly-ambitious targets which they might not meet. They believe that out of the group of people who are easiest to get into work, only just over a quarter will be successfully placed. That compares to government estimates of 40 per cent.

The prime minister tried to brush off the problem during PMQs, sayign the risk was not to the taxpayer, but to the providers themselves:

The basic point is the Work Programme is not putting the taxpayers at risk, it is putting providers at risk. It is about payment by results, it is about getting things the previous government never did.

Continue reading: “Why it matters if Work Programme providers struggle”

Tags: Iain Duncan Smith, Work programme
Posted in David Cameron, UK economy, UK politics | Permalink

PMQs: Miliband exposes Cameron vulnerabilities

January 25, 2012 1:13 pm by Kiran Stacey

It was no surprise that Ed Miliband led on the economy today, on the day that GDP figures showed a drop in output in the last quarter of last year.

The Labour leader’s questioning was more effective than usual. He has a new line that looks like it could pay off:

He and his chancellor are the byword for smug, self-satisfied complacency.

It certainly gives us all some relief from the previous ubiquitous epithet Labour applied to the prime minister and his party of “out of touch”.

Continue reading: “PMQs: Miliband exposes Cameron vulnerabilities”

Tags: GDP, NHS, pmqs
Posted in Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Recession, UK economy, UK politics | Permalink

Osborne may well be saved by Labour on the IMF

January 19, 2012 12:16 pm by Kiran Stacey

George Osborne with Jun Azumi, the Japanese finance minister

Osborne with Jun Azumi, Japanese finance minister

George Osborne has been in the far east this week – probably the best place to be when the IMF announced it would ask member countries for an extra $500bn in funding. This would probably involve another €30bn from the UK – a request that would have to be approved by parliament.

This request is tricky for the chancellor. He wants to play his role as a responsible world leader and help the Fund fight the various economic crises gripping global markets – after all, a collapse of the eurozone (for instance) would have serious implications for the UK too.

The problem is, his own MPs see this as a backdoor bailout for the eurozone. They say that as the UK is not a part of the currency bloc, it shouldn’t be forced into rescuing it when it fails. And Cameron and Osborne have both made much political capital out of not signing up to the expanded European rescue fund, the EFSF. Many Tories therefore see this as both a cop-out and hypocrisy.

Continue reading: “Osborne may well be saved by Labour on the IMF”

Tags: Ed Balls, George Osborne, IMF
Posted in Coalition, Conservatives, David Cameron, UK economy | Permalink

PMQs: Ed Miliband’s new economic policy sounds just like his old one

January 18, 2012 1:10 pm by Kiran Stacey

It was sensible of Ed Miliband to tackle the prime minister over unemployment at prime minister’s questions today. No matter what the coalition says about falling interest rates, if people keep losing their jobs, the government’s robust position in the polls (if not quite a lead) is not going to last very long.

Miliband has tried to recreate a narrative from the 1980s: that the callous Tories don’t care about people losing their jobs. It’s not quite working yet, partially because voters still believe the government is clearing up Labour’s economic mess and partially because the 1980s are a fading memory. At one point, the Labour leader even had to explain who he meant by one reference to Lord Young, the former Tory employment minister, who is back working at Number 10.

Continue reading: “PMQs: Ed Miliband’s new economic policy sounds just like his old one”

Tags: pmqs, Unemployment
Posted in Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, UK economy, UK politics | Permalink

‘What currency will an independent Scotland have?’ – and other tough questions for Salmond

January 12, 2012 2:38 pm by Kiran Stacey

After four days of heated argument about the complex process of holding a referendum on Scottish independence, unionists are finally starting to get the debate they have been wanting to have for a while: about the substance of what independence means.

At first, Westminster politicians seemed to have been outmanoeuvred (again) by Alex Salmond, getting drawn into a row over the timing of a referendum and what questions would be asked – allowing the Scottish leader to depict them as interfering in Scottish politics.

Now, they are beginning to put him on the spot, asking the kinds of difficult questions they think will guarantee that the Scottish people will not vote for independence when they eventually get the chance to do so.

Continue reading: “‘What currency will an independent Scotland have?’ – and other tough questions for Salmond”

Tags: Alex Salmond, Scotland, snp
Posted in Coalition, David Cameron, UK politics | Permalink

Miliband goes on the defensive in PMQs

January 11, 2012 1:52 pm by Kiran Stacey

This was a dangerous PMQs for Ed Miliband. The Christmas break has not been particularly good for the Labour leader, with criticism being fired at him from his own supposed “guru”, Maurice Glasman – and a more coded warning shot from his own front bench in the form of Jim Murphy.

His relaunch on Tuesday fared little better, as Jim mentioned in his post yesterday.

Miliband’s vulnerability was made clear when, on standing up to speak, he was given a bigger cheer by the Tory benches than his own.

Continue reading: “Miliband goes on the defensive in PMQs”

Tags: pmqs
Posted in Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, UK politics | Permalink

What is George Osborne’s grand plan for Scotland?

January 10, 2012 2:35 pm by Kiran Stacey

Michael Moore, the Scottish secretary, will address MPs at 4.30pm today to explain why the Westminster government is offering Alex Salmond the chance to hold a legally-binding referendum on Scottish independence.

Ostensibly, the answer is that government legal advice says that any “consultative” referendum could be open to challenge in the courts. But there is another, political reason. If Westminster offers the power to have a referendum, it can also tie in certain conditions.

The two things unionists want to stop are:

Salmond delaying the referendum until 2014 or later, by which time the first minister might have built up a sense of unstoppable momentum and;
A third option appearing on the ballot, dubbed “devolution max”, which might appeal to those nervous about full independence.

Continue reading: “What is George Osborne’s grand plan for Scotland?”

Tags: Alex Salmond, Scotland, snp
Posted in Coalition, Conservatives, David Cameron | Permalink

Should Clegg back an EU referendum?

December 19, 2011 3:34 pm by Kiran Stacey

I wrote a few weeks ago that the number one priority of those at the heart of the coalition, and especially those close to Nick Clegg, was not to have a referendum on Europe. But there are people on his side who think the Lib Dem leader should effectively call the Eurosceptics’ bluff and back a referendum, not just on any new European treaty, but on the UK’s very membership of the union. It is an argument even Clegg used to advance.

Philip Stephens, the FT’s chief political commentator, made this call a few weeks ago in a provocative column (at least for a europhile) entitled Britain’s eurosceptics are right to call for a referendum. In it he argued:

Barring a euro break-up, Britain and its partners are now set on different courses. At some point the divergence will become unsustainable. The Tory sceptics may be right after all. There is a case for an in-or-out referendum. My guess is the sceptics would be sorely disappointed by the outcome. The voters are realists. Much as Brussels may irritate them, they know there is nothing splendid about isolation.

Now YouGov have done some polling that seems to back up Stephens’ conclusions, especially about the outcome of such a referendum.

Continue reading: “Should Clegg back an EU referendum?”

Tags: Guido Westerwelle
Posted in Coalition, Conservatives, David Cameron, Europe, Foreign policy, Lib Dems, Nick Clegg, UK politics | Permalink

From Brussels blog December 15, 2011

UK will sit in on EU treaty talks

Uwe Corsepius, EU Council’s secretary general

UPDATE: According to a British official, the UK has today been invited to participate in the treaty negotiations, a significant shift that will allow London to weigh in on some of the most sensitive issues to be discussed, including whether EU institutions will enforce the new pact.

Senior officials from European national finance ministries chatted last night in the first informal negotiations on the highly-touted new intergovernmental treaty to govern the region’s economic policy, though diplomats say little substance was discussed.

Ahead of the talks, however, Uwe Corsepius, the new secretary general of the European Council, sent out a four-page letter to negotiators in an attempt to set a roadmap for how the talks will proceed – and we at Brussels Blog got our mitts on it.

Continue reading: “UK will sit in on EU treaty talks”

Tags: EU treaty
Posted in David Cameron, Europe, UK politics | Permalink