Key Quotes - Politics

Showing page 4 of 17

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...17

Last update: Wednesday 25th March




Seventeen central Government departments spent almost £300 million on pay-offs to civil servants last year. The data reveals the Ministry of Justice recorded a high of £89 million in exit payments for staff in 2012/13, followed by the Department of Work and Pensions’ £67 million. The total pay-offs to core staff at the 17 main central Government departments was £290 million. The Cabinet Office figures also highlight the same Whitehall departments also paid out £505 million on consultants and short-term staff.
Politics	The Sentinel, 16th August 2013



It was reported in early July that the Scottish government wants every child from birth to 18 to have a named person who has the role of ‘safeguarding and supporting their wellbeing, working with other bodies’. The Bill explicitly rules out the possibility that the named person could be one of the child’s own parents. It has to be someone appointed by the state and will be someone in an education or health role.
Politics	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



All married men can legally be called ‘wives’ and all married women called ‘husbands’ under the government’s gay marriage bill, it was announced in late June. The redefinition is found in the small print to the official explanation of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
Politics	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



John Prescott has resigned from the Privy Council in protest at a delay to new press regulation plans that “borders on a conspiracy”. The Labour former cabinet minister took the rare step of withdrawing from the prestigious body over what he said was a “political” hold-up. It could even “embroil the Monarchy in a possible conflict with Parliament and political division between the parties”, he suggested. A cross-party Royal Charter setting up a new system of self-regulation had been expected to be approved by a committee of the Council.
Politics	The Sentinel - July 8, 2013



The UK Government has announced a series of measures to ensure that religious organisations will be able to maintain their doctrinal position on marriage. In December 2012, the Government announced its plans to change the law in England and Wales to allow two people of the same sex to marry. Religious ministers will also be permitted to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies if their organisation wishes to, with the exception of the Church of England and the Church in Wales.
Politics	Families First - Mar/Apr 2013



Complying with European Union regulations is costing Britain billions of pounds a year, the first official audit of the cost of membership is to disclose. The burden on British businesses will be laid bare in a series of reports, which will be published tomorrow by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. The audit is made up of six reports - called "Balance of Com¬petences" - which civil servants have spent months preparing…Evidence published alongside the reports will show: More than 400 new laws have been passed by the European Parliament since the Coalition was formed three years ago with legislation costing British business £676 million a year.
Politics	Sunday Telegraph 21.07.2013



David Cameron is facing a fresh backbench revolt as his MPs attempt to force him to introduce tax breaks for married couples. Former children's minister Tim Loughton yesterday introduced plans to enshrine in law Conservative pledges to recognise mar¬riage in the tax system. He said it was 'long overdue' and urged the Prime Minister to 'put our money where his mouth is', adding that the measure will support stay-at-home mothers penalised by other Coalition tax moves such as child benefit cuts. The Prime Minister has pledged that a tax break for married couples will be introduced by 2015, but Tory MPs are worried George Osborne has been dragging his feet. They want the measure put into law now to convince voters it is 'not just an afterthought'.
Politics	Daily Mail June 21 2013



Thousands of soldiers - including some recently back from action in Afghanistan - were axed yesterday. As almost 4,500 service personnel received redundancy letters, the head of the Army admitted the biggest round of defence cuts yet was straining morale. Only troops recuperating from a serious injury or preparing for, serving on or recovering from operations were exempt from the cuts. But soldiers who were serving on the battlefield as recently as last month could find themselves booted out of the military. Defence chiefs announced the job losses on the day Britain and its allies handed over security in Afghanistan to local forces. The war there has cost 444 British lives.
Politics	Daily Mail June 19 2013



David Cameron has set out a series of new measures designed to make it tougher for immigrants to claim benefits and use public services like the NHS. The Prime Minister warned those coming to Britain that they cannot expect ‘something for nothing’. From next year, arrivals from the European Union will be stripped of jobseekers’ benefits after six months unless they can prove that they have been actively looking for a job and stand a ‘genuine chance’ of finding one. New guidance will create a ‘local residence test’ to give local people priority in the waiting list for social housing and ensure that migrants become eligible only after they have been in the country for two years. Mr Cameron said the Government will also target illegal immigration and the Government is working with the financial services industry to stop them from obtaining credit cards, loans and bank accounts.
Politics	The Sentinel, March 26, 2013



“David Cameron was last night under pressure from Tory backbenchers to defy his Liberal Democratic coalition partners and press ahead with the abolition of the controversial Human Rights Act. The Prime Minister insisted there would be no “lurch to the right” in the wake of the Tories’ drubbing in the Eastleigh by-election, which saw the party beaten into third place behind the UK Independence Party. But after Justice Secretary Chris Grayling suggested the next Conservative general election manifesto would include a pledge to repeal the Human Rights Act, Mr Cameron faced calls from Tory MPs to take action immediately.”
Politics	The Sentinel – 4th March 2013



“Senior Conservatives are urging the prime minister to delay any parliamentary decision on gay marriage until after the next election. More than 20 current and former constituency chairmen have delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street. It warns of ‘significant damage to the Conservative Party in the run up to the 2015 election’ if the plans enter law. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, where a religious institution had formally consented, in England and Wales. It would also allow couples who have previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage. Some 180 Conservative MPs are ready to defy the prime minister’s plan.”
Politics	The Sentinel – 4th February 2013



David Cameron’s EU referendum is “not in the national interest” and risks derailing the fragile UK economy, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg warned. Mr Cameron insists he wants to stay in the EU but pledged to claw back powers and offer voters a choice of new relationship or exit by the end of 2017 if the Conservatives are returned to power in 2015. Mr Clegg dismissed the prospects of securing a significant renegotiation and suggested Mr Cameron should be concentrating on the economy – which risks slumping into a triple-dip recession.
Politics	The Sentinel, January 28, 2013



Top Tories, including Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have defied party traditionalists by launching a new group to campaign for gay marriage. The London mayor and Education Secretary are among more than a dozen senior figures backing moves to allow same-sex weddings to be held in places of worship. The issue has sparked a serious rift in the Conservative Party, with more than 100 of its MPs set to oppose the change.
Politics	The Sentinel, December 10, 2012



Labour's tax credit system left behind a 'sorry story of dependency, wasted taxpay¬ers' money and fraud', Iain Duncan Smith said yesterday as the row over plans to cap payments intensified. The Work and Pensions Secretary launched an outspoken attack on the complex tax credit system devised by Gordon Brown, saying it had been 'wide open to abuse', including by foreign criminals. The TUC's new general-secretary Frances O'Grady said Mr Duncan Smith's comments marked the return of the 'nasty party', while Labour accused him of making a 'cheap political attack' on a scheme relied on by almost six million families.
Politics	Daily Mail Jan 1 2013



Britain could become a 'second-class' member of the European Union under plans floated in Brussels yesterday. An influential group of European federalists, who want to see Brussels given even greater powers, is suggesting the UK is relegated to 'associate member' status. The move would see Britain remain part of the single market but freed from much of the social legislation and bureaucracy associated with full EU membership. However the UK would lose its veto on EU policy and would no longer have an EU commissioner or British representation in the European Parliament.
Politics	Daily Mail Jan 1 2013

Showing page 4 of 17

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...17