Editor’s Notes: Is this new group just a respite centre for Remainers…or something more? February 21, 2019 Are we witnessing the dawn of a new political age, or the spasm of a few politically homeless MPs? The smart answer is that it’s too early to tell, but if I were forced off the fence I’d say the latter is more likely. There will almost certainly be more defections, from Labour as well [...]
Theresa May tells quitting MPs the Conservative Party is not ‘warped’ like Labour February 21, 2019 Theresa May has insisted the Conservative party has not become “warped” after three resigning MPs accused it of being in the control of zealots. In an open letter to Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen – all of whom quit the Tories on Wednesday – the PM rejected any comparisons between her party and [...]
City of London Corporation forced into U-turn following homophobia claims February 21, 2019 The City of London Corporation has been forced into an "embarrassing" U-turn after a decision to turn down LGBT funding applications prompted a backlash from councillors. The Corporation's hospitality and working party, which grants funding for events and sits within the influential policy and resources committee, faced accusations of homophobia after it turned down funding requests [...]
UK rules out Japan free trade deal ahead of Brexit deadline February 21, 2019 The UK has admitted it will not be able to sign a trade deal with Japan that matches the EU’s own agreement before the 29 March Brexit deadline. Read more: How will the EU act after Brexit? The government is racing to replicate around 40 free trade deals before the UK’s scheduled departure from the [...]
How will the EU act after Brexit? February 21, 2019 | City Talk Britain's planned departure from the EU exposes many issues. A key one is the economic path the UK will choose. Less commonly asked is what will the rest of the EU do. Perhaps this should figure more in the debate. Last year, President Macron suggested the EU move towards a core, built on closer political [...]
Still a nation of innovators: Nurturing the talent to power Britain’s AI revolution February 21, 2019 The UK has been a leading light in the development and testing of machine intelligence since Alan Turing’s pioneering work during the Second World War. Now, we are living in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is a reality in our everyday lives. It’s already benefiting customers, and from advanced manufacturing to financial services, almost every [...]
Tories and Labour brace for more defections to Independent Group as Brexit patience wears thin February 21, 2019 The newly formed Independent Group could soon be welcoming more disaffected Labour and Tory MPs as a number of senior figures took to the airwaves to warn of more resignations. Former Tory MP Heidi Allen, who resigned from the party yesterday along with Remain-supporting colleagues Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston, told ITV last night that [...]
Shamima Begum has got what she wanted: a one-way ticket out of British society February 21, 2019 We should shed no tears for Shamima Begum. Britain’s Islamic State (IS) poster girl has been splashed across various newspapers and on numerous media outlets on account of her re-emergence in a Syrian refugee camp, four years after she voluntarily left these shores for the embrace of IS. It turned out that Begum – now with [...]
Fintech startup Revolut pushes ministers for fast-track tech visas February 21, 2019 London will fall behind as a world-leading fintech hub if the government does not prioritise incoming tech talent, the chief executive of Revolut warned today. Nikolay Storonsky, a Russian native who started digital bank Revolut in 2015, called on ministers to introduce a fast-tracked visa process for technology workers, particularly within software development and data [...]
UK AI sector funding hits record £1bn for 2018, almost the same as the rest of Europe combined February 20, 2019 Investment into the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector from venture capital firms reached a record $1.3bn (£998m) last year, almost as much as the rest of Europe combined. The new figures from Dealroom represent a fourfold increase in five years, up from a total of $200m in 2014. In comparison, French AI startups raised $400m last [...]