Don’t underestimate the politics of infrastructure January 23, 2020 The Conservative election campaign slogan may have been “Get Brexit Done”, but the fate of this government will ultimately hinge on what it does here at home — specifically regarding infrastructure. It is widely accepted, including by the Prime Minister himself and his chief aide Dominic Cummings, that the Conservatives need to do more than [...]
‘We’ve done it’ says Boris Johnson, as Brexit bill finally passes parliament January 22, 2020 Boris Johnson has urged the country to put “the rancour and division of the last three years” behind it and “move forwards as one”, following the passage of his Brexit bill. The Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which was blocked repeatedly by the Commons prior to December’s election, last night finally finished its parliamentary stages and will [...]
Exclusive: Downing Street plots for UK to ‘take up its flag’ at WTO months ahead of agreed time January 22, 2020 Downing Street wants the UK to “take up its flag” at the next WTO meeting months ahead of the time agreed with the EU, City A.M. has learned. Conversations are taking place at Number 10 over whether the UK should sit independently from the EU at the March WTO meeting, the first time it will [...]
Mayoral candidates attack each other over crime as Khan hits out at government funding commitment January 22, 2020 Sadiq Khan has accused the government of failing to match police resources from a decade ago, as the mayor comes under further attack over a surge in London’s knife crime. Khan, who is currently fending off criticism for failing to keep crime under control, argued the police funding settlement announced today would not go far [...]
John Manzoni to step down as chief of the civil service January 22, 2020 The chief executive of the civil service, Sir John Manzoni, is stepping down from his role ahead of looming Whitehall reforms. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “As has been planned for some time, Sir John Manzoni will step down from his post at some point this year.” Sky News first reported that Manzoni told senior colleagues of [...]
Davos: Steve Mnuchin warns of reprisal car taxes if UK forges ahead with digital tax January 22, 2020 The US Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin has warned the UK of reprisals in the form of taxes on car companies if the government forges ahead with plans for its digital services tax. During a panel discussion in Davos, Mnuchin said he was hoping to hold “private conversations” with UK counterpart Sajid Javid and the UK [...]
Exclusive: Johnson’s US trade talks team ‘set’ – and priorities are being signed off by Cabinet January 22, 2020 The UK is poised to kick off US trade talks ahead of discussions with the EU, with the negotiating team in place and priorities all but signed off, City A.M. understands. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to fly to Washington in early February to “leverage the goodwill he has at the front end of [...]
Our way, not the Huawei — for the sake of national security January 22, 2020 Boris Johnson might have been forgiven for thinking that the biggest dilemma he inherited from Theresa May would be how to resolve Brexit. But a second straggler from the May era has reared its head to disrupt the post-election serenity. How the Prime Minister chooses to deal with it may have long-term effects as important [...]
Jess Phillips quits Labour leadership race January 21, 2020 Labour MP Jess Phillips has dropped out of the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, saying his successor must “unite” the party. The forthright MP had secured enough nominations to take her into the second stage of the contest, but was thought unlikely to win sufficient backing from unions or local party constituencies [...]
Sajid Javid denies ‘no alignment’ with EU plan will hit manufacturers January 21, 2020 Sajid Javid has denied the government’s policy of “no alignment” with European Union rules will damage the manufacturing industry. The chancellor was asked whether comments made over the weekend that some firms would not benefit from Brexit meant he was prepared to sacrifice some UK manufacturers. He said: “No, not at all. We look forward [...]