Saudi Arabia and Indonesia call for immediate end to Gaza catastrophe Private sector companies sign pacts worth $27 billion during visit of President Prabowo    Prince Faisal and Marco Rubio discuss over phone regional situation    Saudi Arabia and Indonesia agree to bolster bilateral ties Crown Prince and President Subianto chair first meeting of Saudi-Indonesian Supreme Coordination Council    Number of Sakani platform users exceeds 4.6 million by first half of 2025    International visitors spend nearly SR50 billion in Saudi Arabia during 1Q 2025    Saudi Arabia condemns calls for imposing Israeli sovereignty over occupied West Bank    Lacazette joins NEOM SC as Saudi Pro League newcomers boost attack with French star    Al Hilal sign Abderrazak Hamdallah on loan for Club World Cup push    Trump says Israel has agreed on terms for 60-day ceasefire in Gaza    New evidence suggests Russian forces shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243    Iran's president halts cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog, reports say    Commerce Ministry recalls over 88,000 Anker portable chargers over fire risk    Elm, One sign MoU to enhance strategic partnership and support local content in communications and marketing sector    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Saudi FM receives message from Iranian counterpart    Inzaghi hails 'historic' Al Hilal win over Man City: We climbed a mountain with no oxygen    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Historic Jeddah's visual identity re-imagined through global art installations at Al-Arbaeen Lagoon    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Cameron attempts to heal Tory rifts over resignation
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 22 - 03 - 2016

British Prime Minister David Cameron was seeking to impose discipline on his warring Conservative Party on Monday, after a Cabinet resignation — ostensibly about unpopular welfare reforms — blew the top on simmering divisions over the European Union.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, who has pushed through big changes to the country's welfare system over the past six years, dramatically quit late Friday, accusing the government of targeting the poor for cuts while protecting pensions for the better-off.
"I am passionate about trying to improve the quality of life for those in difficult circumstances," Duncan Smith said on Sunday. "Now, I want to do that and I want my party to do that. But I felt that I'm losing my ability to influence that."
The resignation of Duncan Smith — a former Conservative leader whose nickname during his time at the helm between 2001 and 2003 was "The Quiet Man" — has set off a firestorm in his party for reasons that have little to do with welfare reform.
Duncan Smith is among a group of senior Conservatives who want Britain to leave the European Union, and his resignation has heaped pressure on Cameron and Treasury Chief George Osborne — both of whom want the UK to stay in the EU. The country will decide in a June 23 referendum whether to remain in the 28-nation bloc.
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said Duncan Smith's move would bolster the "out" campaign.
"I think it reinforces the public view that David Cameron and George Osborne appear to be disconnected from public opinion," he said. Bale added that the Duncan Smith's accusations add to a perception that Cameron and Osborne are "taking from the poor and disabled and giving to the rich."
Duncan Smith's resignation was followed by a series of strikingly barbed and partisan remarks as senior Tories blamed one another for the mess.
Pensions Minister Ros Altmann, who worked under Duncan Smith, accused him of wanting "to do maximum damage to the party leadership in order to further his campaign to try to get Britain to leave the EU."
But Employment Minister Priti Patel said Duncan Smith had resigned because he was "extremely passionate about the principle of social justice."
"I fundamentally believe that this is not about Europe," she told the BBC.
Cameron — who has staked his political future on getting voters to remain in the EU — is due to report to the House of Commons Monday afternoon about last week's migration summit in Brussels. But the session will likely be dominated by welfare cuts and Europe — an issue that has divided the Conservatives since Britain joined the EU in the 1970s.
The row is a blow to Osborne, who has been Treasury chief since 2010 and aspires to succeed Cameron as Conservative leader.
Since taking office in 2010, Osborne's primary economic policy has been to reduce Britain's deficit through a cocktail of spending cuts and tax increases. In last week's latest austerity budget, Osborne announced plans to cut 33 billion pounds ($48 billion) from welfare spending by 2020, including around 4 billion pounds from disability payments.
Duncan Smith's replacement, Stephen Crabb, is expected to announce that the government is dropping the budget's most contentious welfare reform, the reduction in disabled benefits. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.