Hammond becomes latest minister to visit Gulf in UK’s Middle East charm offensive January 4, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has become the latest government minister to visit the Middle East as part of the UK's ongoing charm offensive aimed at Gulf states. Hammond will visit Kuwait, UAE and Qatar, following in the footsteps of a several senior figures in Prime Minister Theresa May's regime. May, herself, visited Bahrain in early December [...]
Former EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers “couldn’t be trusted” by ministers says Iain Duncan Smith January 4, 2017 Senior Conservative Iain Duncan Smith has branded Britain's former ambassador to the EU "untrustworthy", a day after his sensational resignation. Sir Ivan Rogers quit yesterday, writing an email to staff which accused the government of “muddled thinking” on Brexit. Speaking on the Today programme this morning, Duncan Smith linked that leaked email to previous reports of Rogers warning [...]
Meet the Anglophile who could soon be Trump’s man in Brussels January 4, 2017 This week, Dr Ted Malloch faces an Apprentice-style grilling at Trump Towers in New York to see if he will be hired as Donald Trump’s US ambassador to the EU. Like the President-Elect, he is in tune with the peaceful revolution of 2016 and argues that the liberal elite in Europe need to wake up [...]
Sadiq Khan’s fares “freeze” fails commuters – and will still hit Tube investment hard January 4, 2017 New Year's resolutions are like the mayor of London’s election promises – often made with good intentions but almost always broken a few months down the line. As we ring in 2017, commuters here in the capital will be seeing the cost of their travelcards go up by 1.9 per cent – the result of [...]
With the Fabian Society predicting Labour could win just 140 seats at the next election, is the party in terminal decline? January 4, 2017 Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says Yes. Businesses and political parties both operate in markets where competition can be cut-throat, where mistakes can be costly, where leadership and branding matter, and where, ultimately, the customer is king. Yet there’s one big difference: businesses – even firms so familiar we [...]
Trump adviser: Special relationship will be stronger after Brexit January 4, 2017 One of the leading candidates to serve as the US' new ambassador to the EU has claimed that ties between the Us and the UK will be boosted in the aftermath of Brexit. Dr Ted Malloch is meeting with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the role this week, having supported the Republican throughout his election [...]
London firms demand goverment support to shore up business confidence in 2017 January 4, 2017 London businesses are demanding new government support to shore up confidence through an uncertain 2017. With Prime Minister Theresa May expected to trigger Article 50 before the end of March, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry argues firms have handled the initial shock of Brexit. However, following its latest Quarterly Economic Survey, it has [...]
Outgoing permanent representative to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers blasts government in leaked resignation email to staff January 3, 2017 Britain's outgoing representative at the European Union, Sir Ivan Rogers, launched a thinly-veiled attack on the government's Brexit preparations in a leaked resignation email he sent to staff. Rogers who is one of the UK's most senior EU negotiators, unexpectedly resigned from his role earlier today. Read more: If May publishes her Brexit plan, will it affect the [...]
Farage: Brexit indecision is putting the UK on the back foot January 3, 2017 Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has warned that a failure to rapidly move forward with Brexit will harm the UK, especially in the context of the collapse of Italian bank Monte Dei Paschi. Speaking this morning, Farage accused Prime Minister Theresa May of doing "nothing" on implementation since the summer vote. Read More: Monte dei Paschi shares [...]
Labour and the Conservatives can’t stop blaming each other for rising train fares January 3, 2017 London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan and Conservative politicians are blaming each other for the rising cost of rail travel this morning. Commuters returning to work this week are set to see their train fares rise by an average of 2.3 per cent. And both sides of the political spectrum have gone on the attack this [...]