Mark Carney says Bank of England and Treasury working to tackle coronavirus fallout March 5, 2020 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said that Threadneedle Street is coordinating with the Treasury to make sure British households and businesses are protected from the economic fallout from coronavirus. Carney, who will be replaced by Andrew Bailey as governor on 16 March, refused to be drawn on whether the Bank would carry out [...]
Warren drops out of presidential race March 5, 2020 Elizabeth Warren has pulled out of the presidential race after a lacklustre showing on Super Tuesday, the Massachusetts senator announced today. Warren was considered a favourite of the liberal left and a frontrunner among Democratic candidates. However, a strong showing from rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders on Super Tuesday — a day of cross-state [...]
Brexit trade talks: Michel Barnier cites ‘serious differences’ between EU and UK stances March 5, 2020 The EU’s chief negotiator has warned of “very serious divergence” between Britain and Brussels over the future relationship, following the first round of post-Brexit trade talks. Michel Barnier said he was confident a deal could be struck between the two sides, saying “an agreement is possible, even if it is difficult”. But he warned there [...]
With Bernie Sanders, the Democrats must chart a course between Scylla and Charybdis March 5, 2020 For my sins, I spent most of my early adulthood in some sort of library. Of all the topics I have had the pleasure of really studying, one stands out: Classics. Paradoxically, an understanding of Classics tells you more about how westerners behave and are today than any other discipline. The ancient Greeks seem to [...]
Huawei is uniting Tory backbenchers – but can they win over Saj? March 4, 2020 What Brexit put asunder, Huawei appears to be joining. Yesterday morning, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith led a debate about the Chinese firm’s involvement in the UK’s 5G infrastructure. He was joined by plenty of Conservative MPs you might expect – fellow Leavers David Davis, Bob Seely and Owen Paterson – and plenty of [...]
Exclusive: Downing Street set to parachute Bernard Jenkin into key committee role March 4, 2020 Number 10 is set to appoint veteran backbencher Bernard Jenkin to head up the key Liaison Committee, City A.M. understands, in a controversial departure from parliamentary convention. The Liaison Committee, the only committee with the power to call the Prime Minister to face questions, is made up of the chairs of parliament’s other select committees [...]
HS2: Top civil servant admits to withholding information on cost blow out March 4, 2020 Whitehall’s top transport civil servant appeared to admit to withholding information that showed HS2 would go over budget in a parliamentary committee hearing today. The Department for Transport’s (DfT) permanent secretary Bernadette Kelly answered questions from the Public Accounts Committee on the controversial project. The high speed rail line – connecting London, Birmingham, Crewe, Manchester [...]
Worst investment return in history? Bloomberg bows out of Presidential race March 4, 2020 Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has suspended his presidential campaign after spending more than $500m on advertisements. Bloomberg, one of the world’s richest men, dropped out after failing to win any of the key Super Tuesday Democratic primary states yesterday. He did, however, claim victory in the territory of American Samoa. Instead, it was former Vice President [...]
PM backs Priti Patel following fresh allegations March 4, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “sticking by” home secretary Priti Patel, in the wake of fresh allegations of bullying. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions today, Johnson said any claims would “of course” be investigated. But he praised Patel as an “outstanding” home secretary who was “delivering change”. She is currently facing the [...]
Exclusive: Cummings blocks former MP Masterton’s appointment as Scottish adviser to government March 4, 2020 Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings has blocked the appointment of former MP Paul Masterton as a Scotland-based special adviser. Masterton was the MP for East Renfrewshire for two years, but lost his seat in December after it swung back to SNP’s Kirsten Oswald. He was tipped as making a return to the government as [...]