Give Corbyn some credit – he helped to deliver Brexit August 20, 2019 When the history books are written, Boris Johnson may well be remembered as the man who delivered Brexit. But there is someone else who would deserve almost as much credit for Britain’s departure from the EU: Jeremy Bernard Corbyn. Admittedly, Corbyn’s current role in enabling Brexit is mostly involuntary. It turns out that he is [...]
Has Priti Patel thought through the implications of abruptly ending free movement? August 20, 2019 Priti Patel, fresh from announcing that she wants criminals to feel “terror” at the thought of breaking the law and following last week’s Home Office brainwave to print anti-knife messages on the packaging of products from chicken restaurants, has a new plan. The home secretary has revealed her intention to end freedom of movement from [...]
Johnson sets out plan to break Brexit backstop deadlock August 19, 2019 The Prime Minister has made his first moves towards breaking the Brexit impasse, setting out his position in a letter to the head of the European Council ahead of this weekend’s G7 summit. In the four-page letter to European Council President Donald Tusk published tonight, Johnson insisted “the backstop cannot form part of an agreed [...]
Twitter and Facebook shut down network of Hong Kong misinformation accounts linked to Chinese state August 19, 2019 Facebook and Twitter have taken down a wide-ranging network of social media accounts and profiles linked to a Chinese state operation to create division among and about the Hong Kong protests. Twitter said more than 900 accounts were discovered as part of a “significant state-backed information operation” to plant misinformation about the protests. A total [...]
Number 10 rejects move to recall parliament August 19, 2019 Number 10 has rejected any suggestion that parliament may be recalled before the end of recess, despite growing calls for action. More than 100 MPs from all parties except the DUP put their name to an open letter calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to end summer recess early. The letter claimed the country was [...]
Prime Minister ‘confident’ EU will shift on Brexit August 19, 2019 The Prime Minister has said he is “confident” the European Union will shift its position on Brexit, allowing a deal to be struck before the 31st October deadline. During a visit to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Boris Johnson told journalists he was hopeful negotiations could resume, but stressed “we will be ready to [...]
Sajid Javid quashes stamp duty speculation August 19, 2019 Chancellor Sajid Javid has moved to quash speculation he may be about to shift stamp duty from buyers to sellers. During an interview with The Times, Javid had appeared to float the idea ahead of his first Budget. When asked about changing who pays stamp duty to save first-time buyers paying any tax, he said: [...]
Malaysia offers UK post-Brexit trade deal on palm oil ‘rethink’ August 19, 2019 Malaysia’s government has offered the UK a post-Brexit trade deal, with improved terms – but only if the country rethinks “the European Union’s misguided policy on palm oil”. Writing in Bloomberg, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad claimed the EU’s 2017 decision to phase out and ultimately ban biofuels made from palm oil was not based [...]
Downing Street ramps up election prep as Corbyn throws down gauntlet August 19, 2019 Boris Johnson’s team within Downing Street is ramping up preparations for a general election, as Jeremy Corbyn today pledges to make a second referendum part of his campaign. Government advisers have been tasked with producing ideas that can be taken forward during a general election, according to the Guardian. At a meeting on Friday, Johnson’s [...]
A brief lesson in governments of national unity, and why they won’t solve Brexit August 19, 2019 A struggling pound, a Labour leader at odds with his backbenches, and a government trying to pursue multiple contradictory aims. It may sound like last week, but it was in fact the state of things in 1931. The answer, echoed by some today, was a government of national unity – elements of the three main [...]