The majority of people working in Britain’s financial services industry are happy to stay in the UK, said a survey by the eFinancialCareers.com website, despite fears a clampdown on pay may force top performers overseas.

The online poll of 415 workers in London’s City finance district said only 14 percent were actively seeking a job overseas, with the rest happy to remain in the UK.

Public anger over financiers’ large salaries has not waned. Many still blame the industry for the credit crisis, which resulted in several banks being rescued with taxpayers’ money.

This month, Britain fell in line with the rest of the European Union in introducing the world’s toughest bank bonus curbs, and the UK’s politicians have kept up pressure to restrain excessive pay deals in the industry.

…more at Reuters

via @MissEllieMae

The Labour Yes campaign have tonight sent out a press release critical of the list of Labour MPs hoping to stop electoral reform in the May referendum.

A spokesperson for the Labour Yes Campaign said:

It is a shame that some Labour MPs who so recently stood on a manifesto supporting a referendum on the Alternative Vote have chosen short term tactical gain above the long term interests of the voters and the Labour Party.

A large number of Labour MPs recently announced their support for a Yes vote in next year’s Referendum when the Labour Yes campaign launched in early December.

Supporters of Labour Yes include party leader Ed Miliband and 8 Shadow Cabinet Ministers including Alan Johnson, Sadiq Khan, Douglas Alexander, John Denham, Peter Hain, Tessa Jowell, Hilary Benn and Liam Byrne.

Other notable figures supporting a Yes vote from the Labour Party include Peter Mandelson, Tony Benn, Chris Mullin, Baroness Oona King, Ken Livingstone and Neil and Glenys Kinnock.
Full list here

The Labour Yes Campaign recently launched a report by referendums expert Dr Matt Qvortrup which argues:

· In every election since 1997 the Labour Party would have gained more seats under the Alternative Vote (AV) than under the current First Past The Post voting system.

· By opposing AV, the Labour Party is likely to deprive itself of a chance to gain seats, and even of unseating the Tory-led Government at the next election.

· The Supplementary vote (a variant of the Alternative Vote) has – contrary to many myths – benefited the Labour Party in the London Mayoral Election. Had Ken Livingstone won second preferences from 0.04% of voters he would have beaten Boris Johnson.

· The Tories fear that the introduction of AV would strengthen Labour which is why they are campaigning against it.

The full report can be viewed here

Recent polling figures from ICM show the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign leading over No2AV by a significant margin.

Overwhelming support for a full and independent investigation, into News Corporation’s bid to buy the remaining 61% of BSkyB that it does not already own, is revealed in an ICM poll of 2,006 people published yesterday.

The survey – commissioned by BT, Guardian Media Group, Associated Newspapers Limited, Trinity Mirror Plc, Northcliffe Media and Telegraph Media Group – discloses the depth of public concern over the proposed takeover, which was cleared on competition grounds last week by the European Commission:

· 63% said there should be an independent investigation before deciding whether to allow the deal to proceed

· 84% said that a single organisation should not be allowed to control too much of the news media

· 75% said it was important to have competing independent sources of news in the UK

· 44% oppose the deal with a mere 5% being in favour; opposition among Conservative voters was nearly as strong, with 43% opposed and just 5% in favour

· 53% of those who currently identify themselves as Lib Dem oppose the deal with just 4% being in favour.

A spokesman for the alliance of media groups said:

This deal marks a significant change of control and the public is clearly concerned. If anything, popular awareness of the issues at stake will now be substantially higher.

A clear majority of the public wants a full and independent investigation into News Corporation’s bid to take over BSkyB. The Competition Commission provides that mechanism. The public’s concern that no one organisation should control too much of the news – as News Corporation would under the planned deal – is also very striking.

Of those who expressed a view, nine times as many people oppose the deal as support it. With 44% opposing and 5% in favour, that is a significant level of concern. Opposition is stacked against the deal among Conservative voters too.

Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt will receive an initial report from Ofcom on the implications of the planned deal by 31 December.

He then has until 15 January to decide whether or not to refer it to the Competition Commission for a full-blown review. Mr Hunt can task the Commission to examine whether the merger would reduce the plurality of the UK media and should therefore be blocked.

From a press release