With the eagerly anticipated leadership debate almost upon us, ITV have now confirmed the format details for the two-hour long televised event, including both the running and podium order.
Each party leader will make a short opening statement and a closing statement; in between which each of them will respond to a number of questions posed by the audience. Following a drawing of lots, it has been decided that Green party leader Natalie Bennett will speak first, with the current Prime Minister David Cameron listed as the last speaker of the evening.
From left to right, the leaders positioning on stage will be as follows: Natalie Bennett, Nick Clegg, Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband, Leanne Wood, Nicola Sturgeon and David Cameron.
When asked what he thought of Cameron’s positioning at the far right of the stage, the UKIP leader quipped “Is he far right or far left? I’m not sure”. Cameron will no doubt be relieved to have been positioned far from Nigel Farage, who is predicted to be a “strong performer” in the debate.
’Zero-hours Britain’
This week Ed Miliband pledged that Labour would introduce a law that gives employees the right to a regular contract after 12 weeks of working regular hours. The moves come after the debate surrounding zero-hours contract was flared last week during David Cameron’s interview with Jeremey Paxman. With fire in his belly, following an absence from the political circuit since retiring from Newsnight, Paxman pressed Cameron to admit that he could not himself live on a zero-hours contract, compounding his problems of being accused as ‘out of touch’ with ordinary people.
Labour has placed the, perceived, “cost of living crisis” at the forefront of their campaign over the last few years. However, critics of Miliband’s pledge on zero-hours contracts have stated that they can actually be beneficial for those in employment and do not exist to purely exploit workers. Anyway, it highly probable that post May 7th either Mr Cameron or Mr Miliband will be facing a change to their contractual terms.
Clegg’s fight for fathers
Nick Clegg was in Scotland yesterday (1 April) to outline his plans for triple paternity leave. Fathers currently get two weeks off work, but the Lib Dems would plan to increase this to six. The Deputy Prime Minister made the announcement with Lib Dem Equalities Minister, Jo Swinson, who is standing for re-election in East Dunbartonshire.
The party hopes that the plans, which would mean that fathers would receive paternity pay of £138.18 for six weeks, would be rolled out “at the earliest opportunity and by 2018-19 at the latest” if the Lib Dems remain in government. The announcement comes close to the start of shared parental leave, which begins from next week (5 April). It means parents can split a year off work between them at statutory pay and is a policy that the Lib Dems have championed.
The plans provide an idea of the types of policies that will make up the yet-to-be-launched Lib Dem manifesto in a few weeks’ time.
Business backs Tories
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The senior executives of over 100 companies, that collectively employ more than half a million people, have signed a letter supporting the Conservative’s economic plan, which was published in the Daily Telegraph.
The business leaders backed George Osborne’s plan for economic recovery and his decision to reduce corporation tax to 20%, which has been steadily trickling down from 28% in 2010. On the plan, the letter states that: “a change in course will threaten jobs and deter investment. This would send a negative message about Britain and put the recovery at risk.”
The endorsement is the biggest statement of support for a political party by businesses that has even been seen, and incorporates senior figures from Primark, Iceland, Costa Coffee, BP, Prudential and Associated British Foods. The signatories included at least five business leaders who have previously supported Labour election campaigns, including the former Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne.