The London Economic

About The London Economic

The London Economic emerged from a political blog sharing platform created by Jack Peat in 2012. It was developed through to 2014 into an alternative news website in an attempt to redress the political power of the mainstream media.

While it focuses on UK political affairs, it also has Business, Economics, Food, Sport, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Travel and Property pages.

“No new ideas” How Boris Johnson’s Brexit capitulation should be no surprise for his readers:

Ben Gelblum - 3 September 2018

With parliament about to restart and Boris Johnson’s blonde ambition clearly irking since he had to resign as Foreign Secretary, today’s Telegraph carries a striking portrait photo and a warning to Theresa May that her Brexit plan would spell “victory for Brussels.”

“We have gone into battle waving the white flag,” despaired the ex-Foreign Sec in what much of Westminster wrote off as another cynical attempt at a leadership bid.

BoJo bemoaned that the impossible Irish border situation / customs conundrum should not be a major impediment to Brexit two years on. The fact that the Government hasn’t managed to fix a way of stopping a hard border between Northern Ireland and either the Republic of Ireland or Britain while leaving the customs union was proof that were attempting to “stop a proper Brexit”.... See more

Brexit could signal the end of the British union

Jack Peat - 3 September 2018

Brexit could see Scotland edge towards independence and Northern Ireland close on reunification with Ireland, a new poll has revealed.

Just 43 per cent of Scottish voters said they would vote for Scotland to remain part of Britain after Brexit, according to a study by Best for Britain and Our Future Our Choice.

The research showed Brexit is also harming support for the union in Northern Ireland, where a majority would back a united Ireland. Only 39 percent would vote to remain part of UK if Brexit goes ahead.

There is growing opposition to a so-called “hard border” across Ireland, which could fuel talks of reunification. The poll found 56 percent of people in Northern Ireland would be willing to vote for a united Ireland if the UK left the EU and a hard border were set up.... See more

Why are the capital’s police coming under attack from all quarters?

Chris Hobbs - 2 September 2018

Chris Hobbs is a former officer of the Metropolitan Police who served for 32 years including targeting gang crime on Operation Trident

It is a sad fact of life that when responding to stabbings or shootings in London, police officers are very often on the scene before paramedics.

A recent example was the horrific gang stabbing of four teenagers in Camberwell which left one of the victims disemboweled.

While the hands of police officers are frequently bloodied when tryng to save lives, metaphorical allegations of ‘blood on your hands’ are very much levelled at Prime Minister Theresa May for her strident criticism of stop and search when she was Home Secretary.... See more

Millions of Brits left with just £6.60 a day to get by on

Jack Peat - 30 August 2018

Millions of Brits are being plunged into debt because they are left with just £6.60 a day to get by on after bills have been paid.

According to research, a quarter of adults are using credit cards and overdrafts as an extension of their bank balances as the buy now, pay later culture pushes them into the red by £1,222 a year.

Half of workers forced to borrow to make ends meet – and money now a bigger worry than health.... See more

Blue Momentum takeover of local Conservative branches driven by ex-Ukip members

Jack Peat - 28 August 2018

The Conservatives are at risk of being overrun by a ‘blue Momentum-style’ takeover at local Conservative branches – with former Ukipers leading the march.

An increase in membership has been reported by 42 out of 75 local associations, with many noting a change since the Chequers deal was agreed by the Cabinet, according to The Sunday Times.

Campaigner John Stafford said the rise came from ex-Ukip members rejoining because they want to vote in a leadership contest to replace Mrs May.

The prime minister and 11 other cabinet attendees saw membership of their local parties rise. Just two of the 12 voted Leave.... See more

No deal papers paint bleak outlook for British businesses

Jack Peat - 24 August 2018

Businesses can expect a lot more red tape, extra bureaucracy and additional costs in the event of a no deal, the government’s initial papers reveal.

Dominic Raab presented the first 24 of 80 papers prepared by the government to explain plans that would mitigate the impact of a no deal Brexit.

The papers contain a host of new regulatory regimes, doubling up of registration and extra processes for British business and consumers.

Before importing goods from the EU businesses will need to register for an EORI number, ensure their contracts and INCOTERMS reflect they are an importer, potentially engage a customs broker, freight forwarder or logistics provider and decide the correct classification and value of their goods, none of which they are required to do now.... See more

Brits £13 a week poorer than they were 10 years ago

Jack Peat - 22 August 2018

Average earnings in Britain are £13 a week lower than they were ten years ago, a Resolution Foundation report has revealed.

The damning study found the ‘Just About Managing’ group accounted for half of the rise in employment since 2008/09, meaning The Conservatives’ oft celebrated jobs boom has been driven by those on the lowest incomes.

Employment across the bottom third of households made up 1.2 million of the 2.1 million increase in jobs between 2008-2017.

And job insecurity remains “widespread” – with around 800,000 Brits currently employed on zero-hours contracts.... See more

No Deal Brexit now an odds-on reality

Jack Peat - 21 August 2018

Dominic Raab returns to Brussels today with the odds against him sealing a Brexit deal before the 29th March 2019 deadline. Bookies are now 8/11 for a Hard Brexit and the odds on a second referendum on EU membership are shortening drastically too. It’s now 2/1 from 7/2 for Brits to have a second chance to cast their vote on the country’s future relationship with Europe before the end of 2019, while it’s evens with the leading online bookmaker for Raab and Michel Barnier to hammer out a deal before the end of March.... See more

Tories present feeble plan to plaster over the wounds they created

Jack Peat - 13 August 2018

The Conservatives have pledged £100 million to “end rough sleeping on England’s streets by 2027” after the number of people left homeless due to austerity cuts has soared.

Last year, around 4,800 people were estimated to be sleeping rough in England. This is 15 per cent higher than in 2016, and more than double the estimate of 1,800 for 2010

The pledge comes as communities secretary James Brokenshire acknowledged that efforts to tackle homelessness had “not been good enough”, adding that homeless people should be supported rather than punished by the government.

But Brokenshire failed to touch on the role of his party in creating such extreme levels of poverty in one of the richest nations in the world... See more

Calls for Corbyn to quit as Johnson charms media with cups of tea

Jack Peat - 13 August 2018

Sajid Javid called for the Labour leader to quit after the Daily Mail claimed he was photographed holding a wreath near the graves of those responsible for the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The calls from the Conservative front bench come a week after former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson compared women in burqas to “letter boxes” in a Daily Telegraph column, comments he has refused to apologise for.

Johnson charmed reporters with cups of tea at his Oxfordshire home yesterday, avoiding questions on the comments by handing out hot beverages in his typically whimsical style.

He said: “I am here solely on a humanitarian mission because you have been here all day.

“You have all been incredibly patient and I feel very sorry for you because I have nothing to say about this matter.”

With islamaphobic accusations swept aside the media went back on the rampage against the Labour leader this morning, with the Mail’s report dominating political headlines.

Labour has said Mr Corbyn had already made clear he was paying his respects to the victims of a 1985 Israeli airstrike on Palestinian Liberation Organisation offices in Tunis... See more

Exclusive FOI request reveals record-breaking evictions from social housing - by local councils

Raymond Woolford - 9 August 2018

This June, in light of lack of public trust after the Grenfell disaster, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire promised that a green paper on social housing would be published before the parliamentary recess. Its failure to appear, despite a worsening housing crisis and the fact that the Labour party published its own review of social housing back in April, has led to widespread anger across the housing sector.

A freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice regarding the number of evictions over the past 5 years by mortgage companies, private landlords, and social landlords such as councils and housing associations has today uncovered some shocking statistics... See more

 

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