DUP says ‘no compromise’ on Brexit redlines after meeting with EU’s chief negotiator October 9, 2018 DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to compromise on her Brexit redline today as she shot down the EU's proposal for the Irish backstop. The EU wants Northern Ireland to stay in its customs union and Single Market after Brexit if no other solution can be found to keep the border with Ireland invisible. That suggestion [...]
Italy’s stock market sell-off could force its populist politicians to change course October 9, 2018 The start of this week witnessed yet another spike in Italian bond yields, as the country’s coalition government continued to grapple with the details of its 2019 budget. Political leaders also struggled to deliver a consistent message to investors, who have grown increasingly concerned about the state’s future spending and borrowing plans. The depth of [...]
At least 40 Tory MPs ‘ready to block’ Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan October 9, 2018 Fellow Conservatives are prepared to vote down Theresa May’s Chequers plan if it forms the basis of a deal with the EU, a Tory MP claimed today. At least 40 Tories will rebel against an agreement shaped around the Prime Minister’s Chequers blueprint, if it leaves the UK “half in, half out” of the EU, [...]
We risk losing our minds over this unhealthy data obsession October 9, 2018 After two listeners complained about a radio advert that compared avocados unfavourably to bacon butties as a breakfast choice, Costa coffee was forced to withdraw the ad. The Advertising Standards Authority upheld the complaint that the advert “discouraged the selection of avocados” and therefore broke the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising by discriminating against vegetables. [...]
Cromwell should fall – and so should all government statues October 9, 2018 For those of us whose first exposure was Monty Python’s song about him, it’s difficult to get animated about whether Oliver Cromwell’s statue should continue to adorn the parliamentary estate. But the legacy of the seventeenth century Lord Protector does seem to upset many, not least Brits of Irish descent. The historian Jeremy Crick recently renewed [...]
DEBATE: Would a scheme encouraging landlords to sell to private renters help solve the housing crisis? October 9, 2018 Would a scheme encouraging landlords to sell to private renters help solve the housing crisis? Will Tanner, director of Onward, says YES. Britain’s housing market has many flaws, but one of its most pernicious is the never-ending treadmill of private renting. The average renter in London today spends 40 per cent of their post-tax income [...]
A transition agreement would be enough to calm business nerves October 9, 2018 Two reports published yesterday paint radically different pictures of the future for post-Brexit Britain. This quarter’s Deloitte CFO survey makes for troubling reading. Concern over Brexit is at a record high, with 79 per cent of CFOs expecting a deterioration in the business environment, and just 12 per cent thinking now is a good time to [...]
Give businesses a tax-break to encourage investment, CBI tells Chancellor ahead of Budget October 9, 2018 Philip Hammond is under growing pressure to hand businesses a tax-break in the upcoming Budget to boost competitiveness. The CBI today echoed calls from the British Chamber of Commerce to increase the amount firms can invest without being taxed. The Annual Investment Allowance currently stands at £200,000 a year, but the CBI is calling for [...]
APPC merges with PRCA to form ‘united voice’ for lobbyists October 8, 2018 Members of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC), the self-regulating body for professional lobbyists, have passed a vote to merge into the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), a trade association for people in the public relations sector, to form a “united voice” for the UK’s lobbyists. At a emergency general meeting of the [...]
Kremlin says Netherlands’ expulsion of Russian agents was a “misunderstanding” October 8, 2018 Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today dismissed the charges against four Russian military intelligence (GRU) agents in the Netherlands as a "misunderstanding". The four agents were arrested by Dutch authorities in the middle of an attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in April, and were later expelled from the country. "There [...]