Top FTSE execs say they’d rather Brexit was just canned September 12, 2018 Leaders of some of the UK's biggest companies including banks RBS, HSBC and TSB have said they fear a hard Brexit, with more than half wishing the whole process could be stopped. A poll of 100 business leaders at last night's annual Odgers Berndtson dinner for chairs and chief executives found that just one per cent believed [...]
Immigration has been at the heart of Sweden’s tech triumph September 12, 2018 Last Sunday, Swedes headed to the polls. The eyes of the world were on us, with the election result a potential barometer of other populist movements across Europe and further afield. The Sweden Democrats, an emergent nationalist party, grabbed the global headlines with their focus on immigration and contempt for the EU. Other parties, competing for [...]
DEBATE: Should gig economy workers be given more rights and protections, as John McDonnell suggests? September 12, 2018 Should gig economy workers be given more rights and protections, as John McDonnell suggests? Brhmie Balaram, senior researcher in the RSA’s Economy, Enterprise and Manufacturing team, says YES. I imagine most people would agree with John McDonnell that it would be desirable to grant gig economy workers more rights. At the same time, they might [...]
ERG’s post Brexit plans for Irish border revealed September 12, 2018 The Irish border issue can be resolved through "the mutual trust on which regular trade depends", a new proposal put forward by pro-Brexit MPs today has said. The European Research Group's 19-page document suggests existing technology will make border checks unnecessary, while physical inspections can be carried out at exporters' or importers' premises, with exemptions for "the [...]
The decision to include international students in the migration target is a missed opportunity for sensible reform September 12, 2018 International students coming to study in the UK should still be counted in the government’s net migration target. That was the conclusion from the Migration Advisory Committee published yesterday and a disappointment to those of us who have been calling for reform. Over 750,000 students come from abroad to study here each year, paying higher fees [...]
ERG MPs ‘openly discussing’ plot to oust Theresa May September 12, 2018 Pro-Brexit members of the European Research Group were openly discussing how best to oust Prime Minister Theresa May during last night's weekly meeting, it has been claimed. The ERG, which is led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, has publicly denied that its anti-Chequers assaults including yesterday's endorsement of an alternative Brexit strategy have any bearing on the party's [...]
Putin calls on Novichok suspects to defend themselves in public September 12, 2018 Vladmir Putin has encouraged two Russian men allegedly sent to kill former Soviet military officer Sergei Skripal to defend themselves publically. The Russian President said the men identified by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov are “civilians”, claiming “there is nothing criminal here”. Read more: US, France, Germany and Canada back UK on [...]
Jean Claude Juncker’s State of the Union 2018 address: UK ‘will never be an ordinary third country’ after Brexit September 12, 2018 The UK will "never be an ordinary third country" for the EU, Jean-Claude Juncker said in this morning's State of the Union address – but indicated that the Chequers' proposal of a Single Market for goods is a non-starter. Giving his annual speech, the European Commission President told MEPs in Strasbourg that the UK would "always be [...]
Brexiter big beasts herald Economists for Free Trade report September 11, 2018 Brexiter big beasts Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Davis and Iain Duncan Smith were among a slew of MPs to endorse a new report claiming the UK could be as much as £1.1 trillion better off under a so-called World Trade Deal. The report, by the pro-Leave Economists for Free Trade, was launched by Rees-Mogg alongside EFT [...]
Students should remain in net migration figures, govt told September 11, 2018 Students should continue to count towards the UK's total immigration figures, the government's independent adviser has said, throwing Theresa May a rare lifeline on the issue. A new report, published this morning by the Migration Advisory Committee, acknowledged international students brought "clear benefits to the whole of the UK", and their ongoing inclusion would make it [...]