The Brexit film was fun, but don’t mistake fiction for history January 9, 2019 I expect, as a piece of history that the vast majority of viewers will have lived through and probably voted in, that Brexit: The Uncivil War was highly entertaining to most people who caught it on Monday night, irrespective of which way they had voted in the EU referendum. There was some impressive acting and [...]
There’s only one way to fix the housing crisis: build more January 9, 2019 From free marketeers on the right to proponents of central planning on the left, cries to fix Britain’s broken housing market have become deafening. The solutions, of course, differ greatly depending on where along the political spectrum you stand. Yesterday, for example, Shelter issued its latest call to action, proposing three million new social homes [...]
Theresa May defeated on ‘no deal’ vote as 20 Tories rebel January 8, 2019 MPs opposed to a ‘no deal’ Brexit drew first blood last night ahead of a momentous week for the government's EU withdrawal plans. Some 20 Tory MPs voted with Labour to restrict the chancellor's ability to cut or raise taxes in a ‘no deal’ scenario without the consent of Parliament. The move could severely tie [...]
Military to dismantle Sergei Skripal’s Salisbury home to get rid of any traces of Novichok January 8, 2019 Military experts are set to partly dismantle the home of a former Russian spy who was targeted with Novichok as part of ongoing decontamination works. Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were poisoned by the nerve agent at his home in Salisbury in March when it was sprayed on the front door handle. [...]
EU happy to give assurances over the backstop, Irish PM Leo Varadkar claims in boost to Theresa May January 8, 2019 The EU is prepared to give fresh guarantees it does want to trap the UK in a backstop arrangement after Brexit, Ireland’s Prime Minister has said. Speaking in Mali, Leo Varadkar made it clear European leaders would be willing to give assurances which could help Theresa May win a parliamentary vote on her deal next [...]
Scottish government acted unlawfully in Alex Salmond sexual harassment claims, court rules January 8, 2019 A court has ruled that the Scottish government acted unlawfully when it investigated sexual harassment claims against former first minister Alex Salmond. Salmond denies the allegations, which date back to 2013 when he was first minister. They were made to the Scottish government a year ago. At the court of session in Edinburgh, Scotland's supreme [...]
Sadiq Khan refuses to rule out another fares freeze if he is re-elected as mayor in 2020 January 8, 2019 Sadiq Khan has refused to rule out freezing fares if he wins a second term as London mayor in next year's election. Khan was asked by the London Assembly transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon whether he would look at freezing fares again if he was re-elected as mayor. Khan replied: "You'll have to watch this space. [...]
UK not looking to delay Article 50, says Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay January 8, 2019 The UK is not looking to extend Article 50, Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay has said, rebuffing reports that officials were seeking to move the 29 March deadline date. The Telegraph reported that British and European officials are discussing the possibility of extending Britain’s formal notice to withdraw from the EU. “The government’s policy is clear [...]
Labour and Conservative MPs join forces to attempt to block a no-deal Brexit by stripping government of powers January 8, 2019 Labour and Tory MPs have teamed up to table an amendment that seeks to force the government to rule out a no-deal Brexit. Conservative backbencher Nicky Morgan and Labour MP Yvette Cooper’s proposed amendment to the Finance Bill would limit the government’s spending powers if the UK leaves the EU with no agreement. It reportedly [...]
A Brexit negotiated by Trump would have been a wild ride January 8, 2019 How would Donald Trump have approached negotiating Brexit? A few months ago, several commentators mused over this exact question. The current game of chicken between the President and Democrats in Congress, resulting in a partial US government shutdown, is perhaps the best insight we’ll get. And it shows the wild ride that a Prime Minister [...]