Former North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll looks to have abandoned the far-left splinter party he set up just a few months ago. Oh no! Anyway…
In the “Who we are” section of the new Your Party Corbyn/Sultana website it is explained: “For donation processing, MoU Operations Ltd (Company number 16359847) acts as the data controller. MoU Operations Ltd is responsible for collecting and processing personal data associated with donations made via this website and any related financial transactions.” Jamie Driscoll is one of the three directors of MOU Operations Ltd…
So Driscoll is the data controller for Corbyn’s new operation. Interesting seeing as he set up a party of his own in December of 2024 with some fanfare – it even fielded a candidate in the locals. The “Majority” party is also fully registered with the Electoral Commission – something that can’t be said for Corbyn’s outfit. Driscoll can presumably help with that now he’s parked his own nascent party…
Marc Andreessen, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capitalists, personally reached out to Downing Street last week to complain about the censorious Online Safety Act. Following widespread backlash against the legislation which has already blocked memes, Wikipedia articles, and a picture of Starmer’s head on a baby’s body…
According to the FT, Andreessen even called for Starmer to slap the wrist of Peter Kyle after he insisted critics of the Act were “on the side” of sex offenders and Jimmy Savile. Since that attack line came from Number 10 itself, Andreessen’s suggestion will probably fall on deaf ears…
‘Independent expert’ and tax lawyer Dan Neidle is raising the alarm over Gordon Brown’s call for a slew of gambling tax hikes. Neidle published a blog this morning in which he warned that whacking enormous taxes on the industry inevitably hits the gambler, not the gambling companies, and that the Institute for Public Policy Research’s (IPPR) proposal is flawed. If even Neidle is saying it…
“We need to be careful about trying to raise additional revenue from “sin” taxes. The revenue may be less than we expect, and what revenue we do receive may (in economic terms) come from customers rather than the businesses making the sale.
Personally I see compelling arguments for reducing the harms caused by gambling; but I’m unconvinced tax is a good tool for doing that. Regulation may be a better approach.
A tax increase may still be worth doing as a revenue-raiser. But any argument for an increase needs a more robust revenue estimate than the IPPR’s use of a static calculation and illustrative tables. And it needs to acknowledge who is actually paying the price.”
Rachel Reeves is nonetheless laying the groundwork to introduce such a sin tax at the budget anyway. Maybe Dan will be putting in a few calls to dissuade her…
J.D. Vance warned about free speech “on this side of the Atlantic” during a sit-down press conference in Chevening with David Lammy just now. An issue on which the UK is an embarrassment…
Vance chose his words carefully when a hack reminded him of his previous criticism of the UK and Europe on the matter:
“I think the entire collective West, the transatlantic relationship, our NATO allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration, got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions. So that’s been my view. Obviously, I’ve raised some criticism and concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic. But the thing that I’d say to the people of England or to anybody else, to David, is many of the things that I worry most about were happening in the United States from 2020 to 2024. I just don’t want other countries to follow us down what I think was a very dark path under the Biden administration.”
A sober warning. The US Vice President asked if Lammy had anything to add. To which the answer was no…
BBC News at One has featured independent MP Rupert Lowe mistaking some rowers for small boat migrants on social media above the resignation of a Labour minister in its programme. Nothing to see here…
Lowe’s X gaffe from this morning featured as the fourth item on the bulletin at the top of the hour – reserved for the biggest stories of the day. Ali’s resignation did not get into the bulletin at all…
Coverage of the tweet plus an interview with the rowers then continued at 17 minutes past the hour. For anyone to hear a peep about Ali’s resignation late last night they would have to wait until 21 minutes into the programme when it was given three minutes. On some days BBC News at One can get about 2.5 million viewers…
On the BBC News website Lowe is prominently featured – the Ali story isn’t there. Who’s interested in scandal and sleaze anyway…
The Bank of England’s chief economist Huw Pill has today warned that inflation is now at a higher risk of remaining persistent. The Bank of England growing increasingly cautious on another rate cut…
In yesterday’s monetary policy briefing the BoE said inflationary risks are up since May. Pill said in a briefing just now that “there is some shift in the balance of risks on inflation… At the margin, there has been an upward shift in inflation risks for 2-3 years’ time. There is a risk of spillover into more persistent inflation.” Unemployment is acting as an “offsetting factor”…
The BoE has said that inflation is set to peak at 4% at September after rising to 3.5% in the second quarter of the year. Andrew Bailey yesterday said domestic effects such as vehicle excise duty and additional taxes were pushing up inflation. Reeves will not be enthused by high inflation covering pretty much the length of the parliament…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”