From Brexit to Brino: The 10 capitulations of Theresa May November 22, 2018 Flashback to the early hours of Friday 24 June 2016. Imagine that BBC anchorman David Dimbleby looks to the camera and says: “Brexit will look like this. These will be its 10 defining features. These will be the 10 capitulations.” First, Brexit will necessitate the UK remaining in the customs union (or something very much like [...]
UK’s customs system would not work properly for two years in no-deal Brexit, MPs told November 21, 2018 A 'no deal' Brexit would see the UK without a fully functioning customs system for two years, MPs were told on Wednesday. Senior officials from HM Revenue & Customs told the Treasury committee the moment to start planning for the talks collapsing passed months ago" in a sobering warning. MPs heard the UK would struggle [...]
Labour could form minority government without a general election, says John McDonnell November 21, 2018 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said Labour could form a minority government without a general election if Theresa May's Brexit deal is voted down in parliament. His comments mark a change of tack for the Labour leadership, which has been arguing for a fresh general election in the face of Brexit uncertainty. Speaking at a [...]
Theresa May heads to Brussels to finalise Brexit deal with EU officials ahead of European leaders summit November 21, 2018 Theresa May will head to Brussels today to meet with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in a bid to finalise a Brexit deal ahead of an EU leaders summit on Sunday. Last week’s publication of a draft agreement sparked outrage among MPs and led to the resignations of Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and work and [...]
DUP is still propping up Theresa May despite going missing in Budget votes, insists Downing Street November 21, 2018 Downing Street has insisted the DUP is still propping up Theresa May's government despite the party’s MPs voting against the Budget on Monday. A confidence and supply agreement struck after last year's election sees the DUP order its 10 MPs to support the Conservatives in Parliament in exchange for an extra £1billion on public spending in Northern Ireland. [...]
Brussels moves to issue sanctions against Italy over budget failure November 21, 2018 The ongoing battle between the European Commission and Italy has deepened this morning, after Brussels said it will look at imposing a fine on the country over its failure to submit a budget proposal within EU rules. The commission said it will now open a "debt-based excessive deficit procedure" (EDP), after it ruled that Italy's revised [...]
Amber Rudd: MPs will block a no-deal Brexit and back Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement November 21, 2018 Amber Rudd, the new work and pensions secretary, has appeared to rule out a no-deal Brexit on the basis that the House of Commons will vote through the draft withdrawal agreement put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former home secretary said the house would stop a [...]
Given the upcoming Brexit hurdles, what’s in store for sterling? November 21, 2018 The long-awaited draft withdrawal agreement was unveiled last Wednesday, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like we were finally getting somewhere. News that Theresa May had reached a deal pushed the pound up a notch against the dollar. But, as is often the case with anything Brexit-related, optimism was short-lived. May’s deal was fiercely [...]
Whatever the CIA says, the west could turn a blind eye over Khashoggi’s murder November 21, 2018 The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has put a strain on political and economic relations between Saudi Arabia and the west. On Sunday, word came that the CIA blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder, with sources close to the agency saying that it had assessed the evidence in detail. The [...]
This Thanksgiving, be grateful for the political freedom to campaign November 21, 2018 Tomorrow is the fourth Thursday in November, so Americans, in the US and across the world, will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Whenever I have been invited to Thanksgiving dinners, one of my favourite traditions is when everyone sitting around the table mentions something which they are grateful for in their lives. People often mention something personal [...]