If Chequers is dead, a new battle looms: European Economic Area or Free Trade Agreement? September 3, 2018 Chequers, the Prime Minister's official country residence, was gifted to the nation by Lord and Lady Lee after the First World War. A stained glass window carries an inscription offering “this house of peace…as a place of rest and recreation” for Prime Ministers. Despite this noble intention, it's hard to imagine that Theresa May associates [...]
Number 10 slaps down Boris Johnson after criticism of Brexit plan September 3, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May has kicked off the new political season with a pointed put-down of rival Boris Johnson, with Downing Street saying the former foreign secretary offered “no new ideas” in the Brexit debate. As rumours grow that he is preparing to challenge May over her control of the Conservative party, Johnson used his [...]
Downing Street says Mark Carney still set to leave the Bank of England in 2019 September 3, 2018 Mark Carney is still on track to leave the Bank of England in 2019 according to the Prime Minister's spokesperson, in spite of reports he may be considering an extension to his time as governor in Threadneedle Street. Carney is currently set to lead the Bank until the end of June 2019, three months after [...]
The media’s greatest enemy isn’t Trump, it’s the tech titans September 3, 2018 What is the biggest threat to the future of the media: President Donald Trump, or Silicon Valley? In the presidential corner, Trump’s regular attacks on the “fake news media” have provoked a robust response. This summer, newspapers coordinated a string of editorials defending the essential role of the press as a lens on power and [...]
Tory MPs ramp up opposition against Theresa May’s Chequers proposals September 2, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May is facing mounting opposition from her own MPs as Tory backbenchers ramp up their campaign against her Chequers proposal. Yesterday former Brexit secretary David Davis confirmed he would join rebels and vote against any deal based on May's Chequers plan, under which the the UK would remain closely aligned with the [...]
RBS chief warns it may have to turn away customers in event of no-deal Brexit September 2, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief executive Ross McEwan said the bank may have to turn away business customers if there is no Brexit deal. The bank has sent 150 staff to Amsterdam to set up a new entity to act for its European customers in the event of a no-deal Brexit. "We're having to put [...]
Labour antisemitism row is reaching crisis point as talk of a split intensifies September 2, 2018 Labour's antisemitism row has dragged on all summer. The party had hoped it would be over by now. Instead, over the weekend, things notched up a level. A former chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, said British Jews were considering leaving the country over a new threat posed by the Labour party "within living memory of the [...]
Liam Fox says Treasury’s no-deal Brexit forecasts are ‘hard to swallow’ September 2, 2018 International trade secretary Liam Fox has said Treasury forecasts over a no-deal Brexit are 'hard to swallow', highlighting critical divisions in the Tory party over Brexit. Last month Philip Hammond, the chancellor, warned there would be "large fiscal consequences" if the UK crashed out of the European Union, including that Britain could end up borrowing an [...]
Theresa May vows no compromises on Brexit plan as Tory party conference looms September 2, 2018 Theresa May has said she will stick to her guns over Brexit and not "give in" to demands for a second referendum. The Prime Minister said she will "not be pushed" into compromises on her Chequers agreement that are "not in the national interest". The deal, thrashed out over the summer, would seek to impose close [...]
Britain unable to protect waters after Brexit, claims ex-Royal Navy chief September 1, 2018 Britain will not have enough ships to patrol its waters after leaving the European Union, according to the former head of the UK's naval staff. Ex-First Sea Lord, Labour peer Lord West of Spithead, warned that the country has "insufficient ships" to protect its Exclusive Economic zone days after a "scallop war" broke out between [...]