Europe stands ground over US-Iran feud August 6, 2018 European leaders hit back yesterday at US President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran, which took effect tonight. A joint statement from the UK, French, German and EU foreign ministers said they “deeply regret” the US decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Trump has repeatedly railed against the agreement signed [...]
Antisemitism oblivion could push Corbyn’s leadership over the edge August 6, 2018 In the wake of his appointment as Labour leader three years ago, it seemed that Jeremy Corbyn could do no wrong. His controversial history and past parliamentary rebellions were all proof of genuine commitment rather than poor judgement, and were a breath of fresh air in politics. But the decisions he is taking as [...]
Brexit via the lobby: Cicero’s executive chairman on why City lobbyists are about to focus on extending Article 50 August 6, 2018 The reputation of professional lobbyists – never particularly burnished, it’s fair to say – has gone through the wringer of late, with everyone from Boris Johnson to Greenpeace (itself active in that regard) sticking their oar in. There is a problem, acknowledges Iain Anderson, boss of the newly supersized City lobby firm Cicero, much of [...]
Britain continues to reject the far right August 5, 2018 An economics professor at the University of Warwick published a study last week claiming to show a direct link between the Leave vote and areas hit hardest by “Tory austerity” and welfare cuts. Political scientists were quick to criticise the paper for failing to acknowledge the existence of other motivating factors, but the claim was [...]
Maduro’s revenge: President lashes out following drone attack August 5, 2018 Opposition leaders in Venezuela are fearing a backlash after the country’s socialist President appeared to come under attack from drones carrying explosives. Venezuela’s government claimed today that six activists were arrested following explosions at a military event at which Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech. Maduro, the hard-left successor of Hugo Chavez, said the explosions [...]
Liam Fox: ‘No deal’ Brexit most likely outcome August 5, 2018 The most likely outcome of the Brexit process is leaving without a deal, according to international trade secretary Liam Fox, amid growing concerns of a chaotic departure from the EU. There is a three-in-five chance of a "no deal" Brexit in which UK-EU trade defaults to World Trade Organisation terms, Fox said in an interview [...]
Calls to extend Article 50 grow as businesses fail to prepare for no deal August 3, 2018 Calls are growing for the government and the European Union to agree an extension to Article 50, amid fears that a deal cannot be reached this autumn. Two separate surveys – one by the Institute of Directors and one by Maritime UK – have both found that just half of businesses have made preparations for [...]
It’s time to consider an off-the-shelf deal if we’re serious about avoiding a hard Brexit August 3, 2018 Theresa May and her ministers are racking up air miles trying to convince their EU counterparts to back the Chequers deal, even though her own chief adviser Olly Robbins has said it won’t work. Alarmed at the pace of progress, most large firms are finalising their contingency plans – in some cases, like the London [...]
Editor’s Notes: The real threat to our democracy is the call for a second referendum, making new homes more popular and communism vs liberty August 3, 2018 There's a lot of talk around about “our democracy being under threat.” This alarmist claim is thrown around by people who are still fighting the Brexit referendum – many of whom are convinced that Leave only prevailed thanks to Russian disinformation, nefarious online campaigns and dodgy money. Guardian columnists, keyboard warriors and a handful of [...]
May’s leadership nightmare isn’t over and now the EU’s offer to extend Brexit talks could herald another election August 2, 2018 Theresa May heads to the fortress-turned-holiday retreat enjoyed by French Presidents this Friday at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron. Though the PM might hope for a little Mediterranean respite after the past few bruising months, she will be expecting a robust exchange with a smooth operator who has become a serious thorn in her side. [...]