Prime Minister in spotlight over five-figure freebie holiday February 13, 2020 The Prime Minister is coming under pressure over who gifted him a five-figure holiday to the Caribbean island of Mustique after Christmas. Yesterday Boris Johnson declared that his stay in a villa with his partner Carrie Symonds was a £15,000 gift from businessman David Ross. On the latest Commons register of interests, the ‘benefit in [...]
Johnson pledges to ‘set foundations’ for gender balanced Cabinet in today’s reshuffle February 12, 2020 Boris Johnson will today operate a one-in-one-out policy for his highest ranking women today, as he looks to make good on his promise to prioritise gender diversity and new voices. A number of female Cabinet ministers, including environment secretary Theresa Villiers, business secretary Andrea Leadsom and culture secretary Nicky Morgan are among those expected to [...]
Theresa May earns further £112,800 after quitting as PM February 12, 2020 Theresa May has earned another £112,800 in speaking fees and hospitality gifts since quitting as prime minister, on top of more than £380,000 previously declared. The MP for Maidenhead received £96,000 for giving a speech at an event hosted by PwC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to the latest House of Commons [...]
European Parliament sets up more Brexit drama as it backs ‘dynamic alignment’ February 12, 2020 London looks set for another head-on collision with Brussels as the two sides gear up for trade talks, after the European Parliament said any deal must be based on two areas already ruled out by Downing Street. This morning MEPs gave their backing for chief negotiator Michel Barnier to press the case for a post-Brexit [...]
UK and EU must avoid a ‘punch-up’ over financial services, says incoming BoE governor Bailey February 12, 2020 Britain and the European Union must find a way to settle disagreements over how the UK’s finance industry can do business with the bloc without it descending into a “metaphorical punch-up”, said incoming Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey. Bailey, who is currently head of the Financial Conduct Authority, also said it would be “hard [...]
PMQS: Corbyn raises Darius Guppy call as he grills Johnson over Jamaican deportees February 12, 2020 Jeremy Corbyn provoked gasps of disbelief in the Commons today, as he appeared to compare the Prime Minister to one of the criminals being deported to Jamaica. Speaking during his weekly clash with Boris Johnson, the outgoing Labour leader raised the case of a young black boy who came to the UK aged five and [...]
Starmer pledges to take on top earners as part of 10-point Labour leadership bid February 12, 2020 Labour leadership frontrunner Keir Starmer has pledged to take on the UK’s top earners, as part of a 10-point plan to win over the party membership. Starmer, who is shaking off accusations of centrism from some quarters within the party, this morning said an increase in income tax for people earning over £80,000 was one [...]
Varadkar signals defeat as Sinn Fein moves to form coalition February 12, 2020 Leo Varadkar has signalled his willingness to step down as Irish Taoiseach and go into opposition, as left-wing nationalists Sinn Féin move to form a coalition government following an inconclusive election result at the weekend. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, whose party won the most votes on Saturday, securing 37 seats, said on Monday [...]
Ofcom set for role as ‘online harms’ regulator February 12, 2020 A beefed-up Ofcom will be responsible for tackling social media firms over “online harms”, culture secretary Nicky Morgan will announce later today. The broadcasting regulator will become Britain’s first internet watchdog, the Financial Times reported, as the UK attempts to crack down on illegal material on sites such as Youtube and Facebook. Ofcom’s new role, [...]
Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? February 12, 2020 Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? Adrienne Buller, senior research fellow at think tank Common Wealth, says YES. Free ports are a white elephant — a symbolic gesture from the government in lieu of meaningful investment in “levelling up” regions outside London. There is little evidence to support the idea that [...]