All the latest analysis of the day's news and stories
‘I don’t get excited when I hear EITC. Do you?’ This is a line from the late, lamented West Wing. The acronym EITC refers to Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit for low to moderate-income working people. One of the characters, Charlie, is trying to fight for it, only to be told by Annabeth that
Theresa May is under pressure this week as thousands of workers go on strike, affecting rail journeys, flights and postal services. The BBC reports that ‘about 3,000 staff at hundreds of Crown post offices are expected to walk out on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. But the Post Office said fewer than 300 branches would be
Thousands of workers are walking out this week in a series of strikes affecting post offices, railways and airports – but who is to blame for this wave of industrial action? The answer is obvious, says the Daily Mail: ‘union dinosaurs’. The paper says the RMT president Sean Hoyle’s remarks that he wanted to bring
Oh dear. Since Jeremy Corbyn first announced he would run to be Labour leader, Charlotte Church has been one of his loudest cheerleaders. The self-proclaimed ‘prosecco socialist‘ has regularly praised the ‘inherently virtuous’ politician — even taking to the streets to protest at Tory conference. However, times are now a’changin. Over a year on from Corbyn’s election and with
As a hefty chunk of the viewing public is glued to to the Elizabeth R spectacular The Crown, one family is enjoying it not at all. The Windsors, from the young to the oldest, have been horrified by the prospect of seeing themselves or their nearest and dearest portrayed by actors at moments of stress and
Crisis? What crisis? Here in prosperous Munich, it’s hard to believe the EU has taken such a battering this year – but then again, the Bavarian capital has always been a place apart. It has the strongest economy and the lowest unemployment of any German city. It is the headquarters of world beating companies such
From Rt Hon Gisela Stuart MP Q. I keep getting into arguments with people about what being a Labour MP is all about. I used to think that being in government was better than being in opposition. They now tell me I’m wrong and that the years since 2010 have been better and purer than
When I was ten I used to pray that I would be really, really popular at school. My prayer was so successful that every day I had to choose between five different groups in break who were all desperate to play with me. The choice was agonising. Leaving four groups disappointed — and cross —
The Electoral College will cast their votes for president of the United States tomorrow without any last-minute intel on alleged Russian cyber-meddling, according to a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. A group of electors had called for a briefing before the December 19 vote, though it’s unclear what they’d hoped
The National Front were out in force at my local Parisian market on Saturday. A coterie of volunteers handing out leaflets with suitably festive bonhomie. I took one from a smiling middle-aged woman. It was titled ‘Au Nom Du Peuple’ and there was a photograph of the party’s leader, Marine Le Pen, looking pensive. She’s
This year’s yuletide challenge was to supply a carol with a topical twist. ‘In the bleak midwinter’ just about captures the general tenor of the entry, although George Simmers injected a lighter note with his invitation to ‘Deck Ed Balls with boughs of holly…’ and W.J. Webster, too, was looking on the relatively bright side:
I’ve never met Donald Trump, but I have come across his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared. I met them this summer at a media conference in Aspen organised by the great US network anchor and renaissance man Charlie Rose. It’s fair to say the event was not stuffed with Trump supporters, and there were a
Last month, prison officers went on strike in an attempt to draw attention to the deteriorating conditions of England’s prisons. It was, by and large, a failure. But recent the 12-hour riot in HMP Birmingham has provided a more vivid example of the crisis that is to come. Yesterday’s disturbance has been described by the Prison
The one good thing about Twitterstorms is that they tend, witlessly, to prove the point of the person they’re hounding. In the very act of whipping up fume and fury against someone who’s said something you’re not meant to say, these virtual pitchfork gangs confirm that person’s point, which was normally something like: ‘Have you
Theresa May was not the only elephant in the room at Thursday’s European Union summit in Brussels, and EU leaders studiously ignored the other one as well. Paolo Gentiloni, Italy’s new Prime Minister – its fourth unelected one in a row since 2011 – must somehow save Monte Paschi di Siena, the world’s oldest bank,
300,000 people were hit by Aslef and the RMT’s strike on Southern Rail yesterday. The bad news for commuters is that things will get worse in the New Year. The unions have a six day strike planned for January, that means a whole working week of commuters not being able to get to their jobs,
From Ed Balls Q. I have been doing a lot of exercise over the past few weeks and I’ve lost well over a stone. Sadly my (full-time) exercise regime has just come to an enforced and rather abrupt halt. How do I stop just regaining all those pounds over Christmas? A. You are unlikely to
One remark from the Christmas party season knocks insistently around my head. It came from Nigel Farage on a staircase in the Ritz. For those who didn’t enjoy 2016, a year of political revolution, he gleefully promised: ‘2017 will be a hell of a sight worse.’ My, my. What did he mean? Had he taken
Never having experienced anything that I would attribute to a supernatural cause, I am obliged to confess that my prayers have always gone unanswered. But I only have to read George Herbert — rector of a small church near where I grew up, and therefore a poet who has always been particularly precious to me
Although the trouser-gate row between Theresa May and Nicky Morgan looked as though it was beginning to die down, the feud has been given fresh life thanks to brains at the BBC. After the Prime Minister banned Morgan from Downing Streeet for criticising her £1,000 trousers, the former education secretary dropped out of a planned
Theresa May looking embarrassed and awkward as European leaders appear to make a point of ignoring her at last night’s EU summit is such a good symbol of Britain’s place in the world that Number 10 is going to struggle to shake it. The footage, of course, was rather selective, with other clips showing the
The murderers and persecutors of Christians have had a good year. With one exception – the killing of Fr Jacques Hamel in July as he celebrated Mass in a church in Normandy – the world has continued to look away as Islamists and other fanatics have slaughtered followers of Jesus Christ. I don’t mean that we consciously look
I have a confession to make. I go to Trump Tower in New York a lot. It’s an easy jaunt for a New York-based hack: where better to chat with Trump supporters than in its golden lobby or with opponents outside its golden doors? Maybe you’ll spot a celebrity like Kanye West or, if you are
The Government has announced it will scrap the much-criticised 5 per cent penalty fee for those who cash in a Lifetime individual savings account (LISA) during the first year. While it’s good that politicians are listening to criticism of the new product, any extra complexity is always a barrier to consumer understanding. And don’t forget
The payments regulator has let banks off the hook meaning that customers will be left vulnerable to fraudsters, according to Which?. The consumer group made a super complaint to the Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) regarding the increase in fraud over the phone, internet and on mobiles, the BBC reports. In response, the PSR has said
As commuters turn on Chris Grayling over the ongoing Southern rail chaos, the Transport Secretary has now managed to clash with cyclists too. The Guardian has published video footage that appears to show Grayling knocking over a cyclist — as they approached a cycling lane — by opening the door of the car he is
I have no idea whether Russia successfully interfered in the US election; I imagine it’s one of those situations where everyone is lying but the Russians are lying twice as much. But there are a couple of questions that no one seems to be asking, which makes me curious. Firstly, how could America have got
One morning, in early February 1952, the nation learned that the King had died. At school assembly we were told by our headmaster to stand in silence and think about this sad event. I was not sure what to think. We were then instructed to pray for the King. This was more like it; I
It’s been a few months since the Brexit vote, in which the citizens of the UK elected to part-ways with the European Union, yet its effects on the global economy are still very much apparent. Following the vote, the British Pound crashed 9% and literally trillions of dollars were wiped off the global stock market.
Theresa May is already not invited to the European Council summit dinner, and now it seems she’s not that welcome at the day activities either. Yes, the Prime Minister appears to have been given the cold shoulder this morning at the event — which sees the 28 leaders gather in Brussels to talk migrants, Turkey, Russia
Oh dear. Just in case there weren’t enough novelty Christmas songs out there, brains at Labour have decided it is time to offer up one of their own. Siobhain McDonagh, the MP for Mitcham and Morden, has rallied the troops to record ‘National Living Rage’. The track — which takes inspiration from Band Aid 20’s ‘do
It’s not long now until Christmas Day, that cherished time of year when we don our elasticated pants, break the seal on the Quality Street and prepare to eat until we pass out. It’s the one day of the calendar when diets, healthy eating and all thoughts of exercise are banished, to be replaced by
Tax officials are attempting to recoup millions of pounds in tax relief granted to celebrities, according to the BBC. The monies relate to a scheme designed to kick start economic growth in deprived areas including the building of two data centres on Tyneside that remain unused some years on. The BBC says that ‘Wayne Rooney,
As MPs begin to wind down for the holidays, Jeremy Corbyn appears to have other ideas when it comes to a quiet Christmas. The Labour leader has plunged himself into a fresh row with his party over his links to Sinn Féin. Corbyn has hired a former Sinn Féin member of staff to join his office in