Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

Tuesday 23 May 2017

Alleged terror attack in Manchester forces political parties to suspend election campaigns across Britain

Manchester attack halts election campaign

Election campaigns are to be suspended in the United Kingdom after a suspected terror attack killed about 19 persons and left about 50 persons injured in Manchester.

The PM is billed to hold a cobra meeting today at 9am after the after the announcement of the suspension.

Theresa May has stated that: "We are working to establish the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack.

"All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected."

Also, Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats has announced the cancellation of a scheduled election campaign to Gibraltar as a result of the blast.


Further, a Lib Dems spokesman made known to Express.co.uk that: “It’s very sad news.

“Tim Farron was due to be campaigning in Gibraltar and went out there with a large group of journalists and that has obviously been cancelled.”

Mr Farron added: “This is a shocking and horrific attack targeting children and young people who were simply enjoying a concert.”

Though Labour Party was yet to announce any break in its election campaign, Jeremy Corbyn, quickly released a press statement upon hearing the suspected terror attack.

The Labour leader tweeted: "Terrible incident in Manchester. My thoughts are with all those affected and our brilliant emergency services."

Other politicians have been quick to react to the news.

Security minister Ben Wallace has called for vigilance following the suspected terror attack.

He said: “In the light of the attack in Manchester tonight, please be vigilant and if you see anything suspicious call the anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789123.

“My thoughts are with all the victims of the incident tonight and our emergency services who are out there tending wounded and keeping us safe.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Heartbreaking news from Manchester. My 

Monday 22 May 2017

Alex Salmond criticised for saying that the SNP will ignore the opinion of the Scottish people concerning another independence referendum

Alex Salmond criticised

Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has told the public that his successor Nicola Sturgeon will ignore the people of Scotland on their view about another independence referendum. Saying that it "did not matter" what opinion polls say concerning the party’s independence moves.

Such a shocking revelation indicates that the SNP will put into any consideration what the Scottish people want.

The former First Minister told John Pienaar on BBC Radio 5 Live that Mrs Sturgeon will "not listen to the voters, even if they don't want it."

In the meantime, the SNP has criticised for putting more efforts independence referendum during this election campaign and not on Scotland's failing health and education standards.

John Pienaar asked the veteran SNP figure if the referendum will go ahead regardless of the voters' wishes.

Pienaar said: "Support for independence is not far from when you had your referendum.

"Are you saying you will target a referendum in the spring of 2019 whatever happens come what may?"

Mr Salmond said: "Sturgeon sees Scotland having a choice when the decision on Brexit is set forward.

"Scotland needs to have a choice on whether to be a European nation, and that would need independence.

"We already have the mandate to call for a referendum, so this election does not matter in that regard."

Pienaar challenged the Scottish politician: "Are you saying you will launch Scotland into a referendum frenzy even if you are still behind in the polls on independence? Even if people don't want it?"

Mr Salmond defiantly said: "Yes, of course. When I call the referendum back in 2012, support for independence was back in the low 30s, so I don’t think that will be a reservation on Sturgeon’s part."

He added the election battle in Scotland was now a battle between his party and the Tories.


The politician criticised the Tory manifesto as a "whole range of poison pills" that will steal breakfast meals from English schoolchildren.

Jeremy Corbyn declines to give direct answer questions about net migration if voted into power

Corbyn answers question on immigration

With all the various attack made against the Tory led government on the issue of immigration, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has tactically avoided given any straight on whether if his party gets into power, he will be able to reduce net migration to the lowest power number or an increase.

Instead Corby stated that his party immigration drive would reflect "fair immigration based on the needs of our society".

Giving no critical response, Mr Corbyn stated that: "Freedom of movement obviously ends when you leave the European Union because it's a condition of the membership."

He also said Labour would make sure that EU nationals would be able to remain in Britain and "recognise the enormous contribution made by those who have come to this country in our NHS, education and transport industries".

The Labour Party leader also repeated his party's pledge to ensuring the pension triple lock, ending the freeze on working age benefits, free school meals, improving public housing and ending tuition fees.

Answering the on question on whether his party is set to win said: "It's going very well, large numbers of people are flocking to join the Labour Party and join in our campaigns."

While the Conservative Party is making effort to bring about a drastic changes to benefit system, which would likely make the elderly to pay for the care cost they get at home, the Labour Party on the other hand is seemingly having positive response to many of their proposed domestic policies which are in blunt contrast to the mounting criticism of Theresa May's proposed overhaul of social care funding.

Latest opinion poll in the Mail on Sunday suggested 47% of respondents are against the proposals, and 28% said it made them less likely to vote Conservative.

Conservative think-tank, The Bow Group, labelled Mrs May’s proposals as a "stealth tax", and Sarah Wollaston who was the Conservative Chair of the Health Select Committee in the last parliament said a policy could make people to stay in hospitals, in order to avoid any cost special care at home.


British government urges all Muslim clerics (imams) to preach in English in order to ensure a level playing ground for all

UK government orders Muslim clerics to preach in English

In a bid to give everyone a level playing ground and create a peaceful coexistence in the Britain, the Prime Minister, Theresa May has advised all Muslim leaders (imams) to preach in English language.

This was disclosed as one her party’s manifesto tagged “integration strategy” in order to bolster cohesion within Britain and promised to create a “Commission for Countering Extremism”.

The move to make Britain free from any form of extremism was first launched by the PM, while serving as the Home Secretary during the era of David Cameron as Prime Minister, when ISIS began their terrorist activities.

The idea for such a directive for all to speak English is to ensure that “no artificial barriers being put up to people being able fully to feel that they are part of their local community”.

Speaking to the Telegraph, she said: “Obviously the ability to speak English is an important part of that because if you don’t speak English well then you will be less likely to be able to participate in general things that other people do, like speaking to your GP and speaking to your children’s teachers.”

Mrs May claimed increasing the number of language courses on offer, encouraging imams to preach in English and helping women get into work would all boost social integration within Britain.

This measure is also seen as way of controlling net migration, as the government reiterates its readiness to reduce net migration to the “tens of thousands” in the Tory manifesto earlier last week.

However, speaking on BBC’s Newsnight, Sir Michael said: "We haven't set out a formulation of how much it will reduce by each year, what we have set out is our ambition to continue to bear down on immigration.

"It's an ambition, and we have had it in previous manifestos."

Face up to on how much the cost of cutting immigration would be, Sir Michael further said: "There has been various academic work done on the cost of immigration.


"We have made it clear we accept there is a cost and we want to make sure that British companies do contribute to the training of British workers when they want to fill that post."

Sunday 21 May 2017

Theresa May's immigration policy ridiculed by former Chancellor George Osborn

George Osborn makes mockery of Mrs May's immigration policy

The direct attacks made by George Osborne against Theresa May since former Chancellor became a newspaper editor takes a new twist as he ridicules her plans to bring net migration to the tens of thousands.

Theresa May during her election campaign stressed that her party’s manifesto will make every possible effort to reduce migration to less than 100,000 annually.

Nonetheless in a mocking editorial, the Standard declared: "It remains a mystery why the Prime Minister has recommitted her party to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands a year.

"She didn't need to make this politically rash and economically illiterate move. She was not the author of the pledge; David Cameron made it in Opposition."

It was also put forward by the editorial that the Government could not totally control migration due to the fact the number of people arriving and leaving is subject to the "vagaries of the world economy".

And the paper, which Mr Osborne began editing after he was sacked by Mrs May in her first act as PM, also claimed that no senior member of Mrs May's Cabinet backed the pledge in public.

The editorial said: "So you would assume that Mrs May would jump at the chance to bury the pledge.

"That's what her Cabinet assumed; none of its senior members supports the pledge in private and all would be glad to see the back of something that has caused the Conservative Party such public grief.

"But no. Mrs May has kept digging."

It said: "She (Mrs May) knows that a sensible immigration policy is driven by clear principles not arbitrary numbers.

"If one of those principles is no longer to be the freedom to move to work between Britain and Europe, we need to hear what its replacement will be.

"Recommitting to a failed immigration pledge, without knowing how to achieve it, is merely wishful thinking. She still wants to be a new broom.

Accordingly, UKIP reacted angrily to the suggestion that the Conservative Cabinet does not back the net migration pledge.

John Bickley, the party's immigration spokesman, said: "Under Cameron and Osborne's government, which pledged to bring net immigration down to the 'tens of thousands', with the explicit support of Mrs May, then Home Secretary, gross immigration ran at just under 600,000 a year.


"Why did Osborne's Tories make this promise and then so disastrously fail to deliver it? Were they incompetent or misleading the British people, most likely both."

Theresa May set to build a fairer future for the United Kingdom

Theresa May promises a fairer future

Plan to bring an end to the crisis facing social care is being put in place by the PM as she look forward to building a fairer Britain.

Theresa May is perfecting plans to bring a stop to selling of houses by the elderly in order to afford the cost of social care if elected. The PM’s plan is to ensure the protection of £100,000 of their assets irrespective of their care costs, right to defer payment till after death, and to ensure that the NHS deliver the right support for all older British citizens.

Tory sources say today’s manifesto will address the concerns of hard-working families beyond the Westminster bubble. The document will identify five major challenges facing the UK including the growing elderly population, reducing immigration and delivering Brexit.

In a foreword to the Tory manifesto, called “Forward, Together”, it is stated that: “This manifesto sets out a vision for Britain’s future – not just for the next five years, but beyond.

“The next five years are the most challenging that Britain has faced in my lifetime. Brexit will define us: our place in the world, our economic security and our future prosperity.

“Now more than ever, Britain needs a strong and stable leadership to make the most of the opportunities that Brexit brings. This is my plan for a stronger Britain and a prosperous future.

"It is a declaration of intent: a commitment to get to grips with the great challenges of our time and to take the big, difficult decisions that are right for Britain in the long term.”

According to a Tory spokesman: “We have protected and increased school funding to the highest level on record but we accept there is more we can do. This extra money means no child will lose out.”

Mrs May said that the Tory manifesto will “set out in detail the five great challenges our country faces over the next few years and lay out how we will tackle them”, compared with the “fantasy wish list of easy promises paid for with imaginary money” offered by Labour.

“While Jeremy Corbyn and Labour retreat into an ideological comfort zone, ducking the difficult challenges which lay ahead, I will be straight with people, I won’t shy away from the challenges of our time, I will set out how we will tackle them head-on,” she said.

“Because that is what leadership is about and on this key test, Jeremy Corbyn has failed once again.

“If he can’t show real leadership in his party, how could he lead our country through Brexit?”

Mrs May also tore into Labour’s manifesto, launched last week by Mr Corbyn. warning that the tax-and-spend socialist blueprint would lead to “economic chaos” for families across the country if implemented.

In a news conference with Chancellor Philip Hammond in London, the Prime Minister said ordinary people would “pay the price of Labour” in soaring taxes, mortgage rates and unemployment at a time when the country was going through Brexit negotiations.

Mrs May repeated the Tory charge that Labour’s plans would lead to a shattering £58billion shortfall in public finances by 2022 if Mr Corbyn ever reached Downing Street.

She said seven years of Tory-led government had seen rising employment and economic growth while the state deficit was reduced by threequarters.

“None of this happened by accident,” said Mrs May. “Our economic progress has been dearly won and could easily be lost if the wrong policies are pursued in the years ahead. It is frankly all at risk.

“Any party which asks the British people to entrust to them the responsibility of forming the next government through the crucial years of our Brexit negotiations and beyond must demonstrate that it has the credible economic plan and the capable team to safeguard our economic security.


“No one could look at what Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour Party offered yesterday and conclude that it passed that test. The risk that a Jeremy Corbyn government would pose to our economy has been laid bare.”