Image copyright Sunesis Image caption The government has provided almost 600,000 new school places in five years The government has pledged billions for new free schools while existing school buildings in England are deteriorating, says the official spending watchdog. Repairing all school buildings to a satisfactory standard will cost an estimated £6.7bn, according to a […]
Image copyright Reuters European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned the UK it faces a “very hefty” bill for Brexit. He promised two years of “tough negotiation”, when discussions on leaving terms get under way between the government and the European Union. Exit will not come “at a discount or at zero cost”, he said […]
Media captionLamont: Europe has changed, not me Former Tory chancellor Lord Lamont says it is the “duty” of Remain supporters not to undermine the government over Brexit. Lord Lamont urged peers not to attempt to add conditions to the government’s Brexit bill as it passes through the Lords. But another ex-chancellor, Labour’s Lord Darling, said […]
Media captionEx-Speaker says some peers ‘contribute nothing’ The House of Lords is the “best day-care centre for the elderly in London”, a Lib Dem peer says in a new BBC documentary. It also features a claim by the former Lord Speaker that many peers contribute “absolutely nothing” to Parliament. Baroness D’Souza claimed one peer kept […]
Image copyright Getty Images Government finances recorded a £9.4bn in surplus in January, £0.3bn higher than the same month last year. Boosted by self-assessment tax receipts, January is typically a strong month for government finances. For the financial year-to-date, borrowing stands at £49.3bn, the lowest since the comparable period of 2008. Economists say strong tax […]
Image copyright HoL Image caption Theresa May, top, fourth from left, was among those watching the debate Debate on the government’s Brexit bill has resumed in the House of Lords. Peers have been urged to “respect” voters’ decision to leave the EU but opposition parties say “reasonable changes” could be made to the bill. MPs […]
Image copyright Getty Images Chancellor Philip Hammond has told Conservative MPs he is “listening” to their concerns about an imminent re-evaluation of business rates. Ministers are under pressure with MPs warning the changes will lead to “eye-watering” bill rises for some firms. Questions have also been raised over calculations used by the government to defend […]
Image copyright HoL Image caption Theresa May, top, fourth from left, was among those watching the debate Peers have been urged to “respect” voters’ decision to leave the EU as they began debating the Brexit bill. With Prime Minister Theresa May taking the unusual step of sitting in the Lords to watch the opening speeches, […]
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The prime minister announced the state visit during a trip to Washington to meet the US president MPs have clashed over whether Donald Trump should be given a state visit to the UK in a packed Westminster debate. Protesters gathered outside as Labour’s Paul Flynn said it would be “terribly […]
Image copyright Getty Images Critics of the government’s planned changes to business rates are raising “genuine” concerns, a former local government minister says. Bob Neill was speaking after ministers claimed there had been a “relentless campaign of distortions and half-truths” about the move. The changes come into force on 1 April as a result of […]
