Michel Barnier: UK will ‘face consequences’ of no-deal Brexit July 18, 2019 The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has warned that the UK will have to “face the consequences” if it ends up leaving without a deal. Michel Barnier told the BBC that Theresa May’s deal, which was rejected three times by parliament, was the only way for Britain to exit the EU in “an orderly manner”. Read [...]
Young voters today care about far more than just tuition fees July 18, 2019 Student debt is, once again, pledge fodder as politicians jostle for power. Conservative leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has promised to wipe student debt for successful entrepreneurs and reduce interest on loans, the Brexit Party has pledged to remove and reimburse interest altogether, while Labour has long vowed to scrap tuition fees entirely. It’s not hard [...]
Ursula von der Leyen: What kind of EU leader can the UK expect? July 17, 2019 After months of deliberation, the EU parliament has now elected a new successor to Jean-Claude Juncker, the larger than life head of the EU Commission who has been navigating Brexit’s choppy waters since 2016. Ursula von der Leyen, a former German defence minister and key ally of Angela Merkel, will soon lead the Brexit negotiations [...]
Chris Grayling admits Cabinet overruled him on Eurotunnel ferry settlement July 17, 2019 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has said he personally wanted to fight Eurotunnel’s legal challenge against the government’s no-deal Brexit ferry strategy in court but that Cabinet collectively decided to settle it. In what was most likely his last appearance before the Transport Select Committee, Grayling was asked why the Department for Transport (DfT), which he [...]
Let Apollo 11 be an inspiration, mankind can achieve the impossible July 17, 2019 Fifty years ago this week, in one of the seminal moments in the history of humanity, man landed on the moon for the first time. As hundreds of millions watched with bated breath, hoping against hope that nothing would derail this most extraordinary of missions, Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface and immortalised [...]
DEBATE: Was Sadiq Khan right to reject plans for the Tulip tower? July 17, 2019 Was Sadiq Khan right to reject plans for the Tulip tower? Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly, says YES. I seriously disagree with Sadiq Khan on many subjects, but on this issue I think he is right. Innovative and challenging designs of buildings are of course important, but we should never [...]
Business bodies unite to attack post-Brexit immigration plans July 17, 2019 A group of business organisations representing thousands of firms have demanded the next prime minister change proposed post-Brexit immigration plans to avoid worsening “chronic skills and labour shortages”. Read more: British businesses attack post-Brexit immigration policy The groups, among them business membership organisation London First, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), and the Recruitment and Employment [...]
Von der Leyen gets top job at European Commission, becoming first woman president July 16, 2019 The European Parliament yesterday voted German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as the first female EU Commission president. Von der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, secured 383 votes, needing a minimum 374 votes to be confirmed. Read more: Ex-European Commission president says UK financial services should be higher on Brexit agenda [...]
Sterling hits new two-year low as no-deal Brexit risk jumps July 16, 2019 The pound tumbled to fresh two-year lows against the dollar today after the two candidates to replace Theresa May pledged to abandon the controversial Northern Ireland backstop proposals, ramping up the chances of a no-deal Brexit. Read more: Amber Rudd: I won’t lie down in front of bulldozers to stop no-deal Brexit Boris Johnson and [...]
Boris Johnson considering suspending parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit July 16, 2019 Boris Johnson is considering shutting down parliament at the end of October to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit. According to Sky News, the plan would involve Johnson, if he wins the race to succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister, scheduling a Queen’s Speech for the beginning of November. It is conventional for MPs to [...]