No-deal Brexit likeliest outcome, Ursula von der Leyen tells EU leaders December 11, 2020 A no-deal Brexit is now likelier than the UK leaving the transition period with a trade deal, Ursula von der Leyen has told EU leaders. Speaking on the second day of a two-day summit in Brussels, the European Commission president refused to put a percentage on the chances of agreement but told EU leaders there [...]
UK signs free-trade deals with Vietnam and Singapore December 11, 2020 The UK has signed a continuity free-trade agreement with Vietnam the day after it penned a deal with Singapore. The Singapore deal protects trade that was worth £17.6bn last year while the Vietnam agreement protects £5.7bn of trade, the government said. Trade secretary Liz Truss, who is in south east Asia, said: “Both these agreements are [...]
A year on from the election, Boris is ensnared in the classic Conservative leadership trap December 11, 2020 It seemed like all of Boris Johnson’s plans had come together. The Red Wall had tumbled, turning Labour heartlands blue for the first time in history. The Prime Minister would return to the Commons with 364 MPs backing him and his oven-ready Brexit deal. He had vanquished his own party rivals, outplayed a divided Commons, [...]
It’s not about fish, it’s about control December 11, 2020 Throughout the highs and lows of the Brexit rollercoaster over the past five years, there has been precious little that can be regarded as consensus. One thing we can probably agree on, however, is that of the 17,410,742 people who voted to leave the EU, most of them probably didn’t do so on the basis [...]
Spending watchdog urges government to ‘stop throwing money’ at NHS Test and Trace December 11, 2020 The UK’s spending watchdog has urged ministers to “stop throwing money” at NHS Test and Trace, after the beleaguered system last month received an extra £7bn in funding despite repeatedly failing to achieve targets. In a scathing report on the programme’s performance so far, the National Audit Office (NAO) slammed Test and Trace for failing [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Strong possibility’ now of a no-deal Brexit December 10, 2020 Boris Johnson has said this evening that there is now a “strong possibility” that the UK will not strike a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels and will leave the EU on no-deal terms. Johnson’s statement comes after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last night ended with both sides vowing to [...]
Boris Johnson facing legal challenge over decision not to fire Priti Patel December 10, 2020 The FDA Union is suing Boris Johnson after he overruled allegations of bullying by Priti Patel.
Government report says Hammersmith Bridge may be safe to partially reopen December 10, 2020 A government commissioned report has said Hammersmith Bridge is potentially safe to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists and that the local council’s safety report was too conservative. The report – commissioned for the Department for Transport’s task force and undertaken by engingeering company Aecom – said “there is now a better understanding of how the [...]
‘Firm decision’ on Brexit talks set for Sunday December 10, 2020 Boris Johnson and the EU have set a Sunday deadline for a “firm decision” on the future relationship between the two sides. Downing Street said “large gaps remain” between the EU and UK after the Prime Minister and Ursula Von der Leyen met for dinner in Brussels. Von der Leyen said the conversation had been [...]
Pay no attention to the left-wing brigade, a Covid wealth tax would be a disaster December 10, 2020 It is incredible how, in the 12 years since the financial crisis, the position of so many organisations has changed. In 2008/9, think tanks like the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) argued that the British day-to-day deficit required prudent reforms to public spending, while those on the left claimed that there wasn’t a problem and [...]