Families hit twice as hard as banks
Families are to contribute twice as much as the banks to bringing down the deficit. The finding makes a mockery of George Osborne’s claims on the banks.
Social Justice
Osborne, Mitchell and Hammond accused of tax avoidance
In the week in which the coalition will announce massive cuts to public services three high-ranking cabinet ministers face accusations of tax avoidance.
‘No frills’ Tory council votes through massive pay hikes
The Tory council which last year unveiled plans for an ‘easy council’ model in which residents would be charged extra for services has voted through massive pay increases – doubling the allowances received by cabinet members and increasing the allowancestest
Should Sinn Fein MPs claim expenses?
Should Sinn Fein MPs be allowed to claim parliamentary expenses, despite the party’s policy of not taking their seats? DUP Deputy Nigel Dodds has previously described Sinn Fein’s ability to claim expenses as “an iniquitous situation”
Coulson escapes salary headline
Andy Coulson’s salary has escaped scrutiny in today’s list of top civil service pay. But his reported £475,000 salary is likely to make headlines next year.
Tory 24-hour u-u-turn on lobbying transparency
Conservative spin-doctors have got in touch to “clarify” that shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt had not actually said he supported a ban on secret lobbying.
Tory manifesto u-turn on lobbying transparency
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has performed a u-turn on lobbying, bringing the Conservative Party in line with the Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Exposing the greed of the “bankster” Tory PPCs
There appear to be at least 48 financiers fighting for a Parliamentary seat from which to defend the interests of the City – all of them Tory PPCs.
As election kicks off, UKIP finds itself mired in sleaze
UKIP’s East of England MEP Stuart Agnew was secretly recorded by The Sunday Times telling an undercover reporter how to get round the ban on proxy donations.
Tackling tax avoidance is the fair way forward
Alistair Darling’s Budget was an opportunity to address the inequity of tax avoidance. He took it but there’s still more to be done.