Household debt hits record high, above pre-crisis levels, top union warns January 7, 2019 The government is on thin ice if it expects household debt to help drive growth, a top trade union has warned, as data shows that Brits are more in debt than ever. Unsecured debt reached £15,385 per household in the third quarter of 2018, a 38 per cent increase since the before the financial crisis [...]
Government sets date for Brexit vote as MPs urge May to avoid no-deal departure January 7, 2019 The government is set to hold the delayed parliamentary vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 15 January, it is reported. The original vote was scheduled for 11 December, but was delayed as parliamentary arithmetic made it clear that May’s deal faced a heavy defeat. Now, the BBC reports that the vote is scheduled to [...]
Britain needs to step up to win the global AI healthcare race January 7, 2019 At this time of year, the news is invariably gearing up for a season full of stories about a crisis in hospital care. But away from the headlines, Britain is on the brink of a real global health success story – one we must capitalise on in 2019. It’s no stretch to say that the UK [...]
Theresa May urges MPs to back her Brexit deal as crunch vote approaches January 6, 2019 Theresa May has issued another plea to MPs to back her Brexit deal, saying it is the only way to honour the result of the referendum and protect jobs. MPs will return to parliament tomorrow where they will be preparing for the second vote on Brexit, after the first was ceremoniously pulled by May in the [...]
‘No way’ DUP will back May’s Brexit deal, says senior party member January 4, 2019 A senior DUP member has said there is “no way” his party will back Theresa May’s Brexit deal due to concerns over the backstop agreement. Sammy Wilson, who is Brexit spokesperson for the DUP, said he was “more alarmed” than ever about the impact the deal would have on Northern Ireland. “It’s not just because of [...]
Government finds 150 lorries to test Dover crossing congestion in case of no-deal Brexit January 4, 2019 Operation Brock, the system designed to minimise disruption at the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit, will be tested for the first time next week. A total of 150 HGV lorries will trial the route from Manston Airport to Dover as part of the Department for Transport’s contingency planning for the UK’s departure from [...]
Brexit in 2019: The only certainty is uncertainty January 4, 2019 Predicting what will happen in the world of politics is a notoriously difficult task at the best of times, but in the current all-bets-are-off climate, surely only a fool would give it a go. City A.M.’s Owen Bennett is that fool, and here are his tips for what to look out for. Brexit May's Brexit [...]
House votes to end shutdown despite Trump veto threat over border wall January 4, 2019 The US House of Representatives has voted to end the partial government shutdown without funding President Donald Trump’s border wall. The congress, which is now under Democrat control, passed a bill to fund homeland security until 8 February, as well as measures to fund other federal agencies currently affected by the shutdown. But the move [...]
Poll: Most Tories would back a no-deal Brexit rather than support Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement January 4, 2019 More than half of Tory party members prefer a no-deal Brexit over Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, a new poll today suggests. Around 57 per cent of Conservatives would support leaving the EU with no agreement compared to just 23 per cent prepared to back the Prime Minister’s vision. The Yougov poll, funded by the Economic and [...]
Alexa: Tell me why I can’t have a flying car like in Blade Runner January 4, 2019 Bad news: it’s 2019, and that means we are now living through the year in which the original Blade Runner film was set. Released in 1982, Blade Runner has some interesting ideas about 2019. Yes, it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian hellscape where sentient bioengineered robots (“replicants”) must be hunted down against a backdrop of a dying [...]