Brexit: What happens if Theresa May loses the vote on her deal? January 14, 2019 Theresa May’s Brexit plan looks set to be defeated by a huge margin in parliament on Tuesday. Despite her warnings that voting down the deal could place Brexit itself in jeopardy, scores of anti-EU Tories seem prepared to defeat the government when they march through the voting lobbies. While defeat seems a certainty, what comes [...]
Tory whip quits ahead of parliament’s crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal January 14, 2019 A Tory whip has resigned on the eve of a crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal in parliament. Gareth Johnson tendered his resignation from the Government Whips' Office in a letter to the Prime Minister today, saying it was “possibly the hardest decision I have ever made”. The Dartford MP criticised the so-called Irish [...]
Hermes Investment Management steps up Dublin presence in no-deal Brexit contingency planning January 14, 2019 Hermes Investment Management has stepped up its presence in Ireland to mitigate against the risks posed by Brexit, the company announced today. The City-headquartered firm has set up an Irish management company, saying its mitigation activities have been based on the presumption of a “hard Brexit” without any transitional arrangements. Read more: 60 per cent [...]
EU repeats it does not want to use Brexit backstop in letter designed to help May win crunch vote January 14, 2019 EU leaders have released a letter reiterating the so-called backstop plan would only ever be temporary after Brexit, but have refused to reopen negotiations to amend the proposal in the withdrawal deal. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk gave the assurances in a letter published a day before MPs vote [...]
No Brexit is more likely than a no-deal Brexit, Theresa May warns on eve of parliament’s crunch vote January 14, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May is set to warn MPs today that no Brexit at all is the most likely outcome if parliament blocks her EU exit agreement tomorrow. May is expected to urge lawmakers to back her deal in tomorrow’s crunch parliamentary vote in order to secure Brexit, saying a no-deal Brexit is less likely [...]
Britain’s economic hopes rest not on productivity, but happiness January 14, 2019 They were the best of times, they were the worst of times. Thank you, Dickens, for words that capture the daily diet of our much-divided Britain. Happiness seems to be much on our minds, mainly because it seems so difficult to attain and then maintain. Next week we face Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing [...]
Government should scrap ‘arbitrary’ migration target and harmful visa cap, says think tank January 14, 2019 The UK should scrap its "arbitrary" net migration target and harmful visa cap, a leading centre-right think tank has proposed. A new report released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs calls the UK's approach to immigration policy "economically damaging" and "too restrictive" when applied to high-skilled workers. The IEA said that as well as scrapping a [...]
MPs seeking to relieve the government of its authority are playing a dangerous game January 13, 2019 Ahead of tomorrow's vote on Theresa May's proposed withdrawal agreement, it is worth reflecting on the legislative events that have brought us to this point. 554 MPs voted in favour of holding a referendum. It was presented, by the government of the day as well as leading Remain campaigners, as a once-in-a-lifetime event. Campaign material [...]
MPs plot to wrestle Brexit agenda away from Theresa May as vote on deal fast approaches January 13, 2019 A cross-party group of MPs is reportedly plotting to seize control of the Brexit negotiations as the countdown to vote on Theresa May's deal fast approaches. Senior backbenchers, including former minister Nick Boles and Labour MP Dominic Grieve, are reportedly spearheading efforts to shake up the Commons rulebook so that backbenchers' motions take precedence over [...]
Police arrest man over alleged MP abuse incidents outside parliament January 12, 2019 A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences after an MP was subjected to alleged verbal abuse outside parliament last week. The Metropolitan Police said the man was detained outside St James’s Park tube station in central London shortly before midday in connection with incidents in Westminster on Monday. [...]