Dominic Raab ‘stubbornly optimistic’ a Brexit deal can be done August 31, 2018 Dominic Raab is "stubbornly optimistic" that a Brexit deal is within reach, he said today at the end of another week of negotiations with the EU. But Michel Barnier warned that a Brexit deal will not be possible if the two parties cannot reach a backstop agreement for the border with Northern Ireland. "With no [...]
Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson mulls Westminster move August 31, 2018 Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson is mulling a move to Westminster as part of wider ambitions for a bid to become the head of the party. According to The Sun, the popular politician has told friends she may accept a peerage in London and become a Cabinet minister, in order to be taken seriously for a [...]
Red tape for Red Bull: The ban-happy nanny state is coming for energy drinks August 31, 2018 I don’t remember the last time I saw a six-year-old queuing for a cappuccino in Pret. Nor have I ever noticed one standing in line, with their own cash, paying for their fizzy drink of choice over the counter at corner shop. That’s because realistically these instances cannot happen without the assistance of an adult, who [...]
DEBATE: Is Entrepreneurs’ Relief worth the cost to the government? August 31, 2018 Is Entrepreneurs’ Relief worth the cost to the government? Chris Chapple, tax partner at BDO, says YES. Entrepreneurs’ Relief (ER) is a generous tax relief for business owners – but let’s remember why it was created. Tax law has long offered reliefs to entrepreneurs who sell all or part of their business, of which ER [...]
It’s not rocket science – if we want more maths teachers, we should pay them more August 31, 2018 Britain faces a teaching crisis: half of new maths and physics teachers quit within five years. Just 47 per cent of those teaching these subjects at GCSE level have a relevant degree, and in the most deprived schools, it’s as low as one in five. Thursday’s report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) paints a [...]
Editor’s Notes: Time for some forward guidance on the next Bank of England governor, Labour loses a man of principle and Warren Buffett’s lunch date August 31, 2018 Mark Carney’s first speech as governor of the Bank of England was on 28 August 2013, at a lunch co-hosted by the CBI and the Institute of Directors. I was working for the latter at the time, and was leaning against the back wall with a glass of warm white wine in my hand as [...]
EU27 prepare Irish ‘fudge’ to secure 11th hour Brexit deal August 30, 2018 EU member states are preparing to fudge an agreement on the Irish backstop, in the hope of forcing through an 11th hour Brexit deal. City A.M. understands that a growing number of policy makers from the EU27, including Germany’s CDU and Ireland’s Fine Gael, are backing plans to broaden Michel Barnier’s mandate at the October [...]
Labour MP Frank Field resigns, claiming party is ‘force for antisemitism’ August 30, 2018 Veteran MP Frank Field has resigned from Labour, claiming the party has become "a force for antisemitism in British politics". Field, the MP for Birkenhead and chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, issued a statement saying he was resigning the whip from the party he has represented since 1979 to serve as an independent MP [...]
Jeremy Hunt takes aim at Google over ‘child abuse content’ August 30, 2018 UK foreign minister Jeremy Hunt has lashed out at Google over its plans to build a censored version of its search engine in China, while lagging on efforts to remove sensitive content on child abuse. "Seems extraordinary that Google is considering censoring its content to get into China but won’t cooperate with UK, US and [...]
Trump doubles down on bias accusations against US tech giants August 30, 2018 US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his attacks towards tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of illegal activity. "I think that Google and Facebook and Twitter … treat conservatives and Republicans very unfairly,” Trump told reporters at the White House last night. "I think it’s a very serious problem [...]