Hilary Benn is to chair parliament’s cross-party Brexit watchdog October 19, 2016 Former shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn has been confirmed as the chair of a newly established parliamentary Brexit watchdog. Benn defeated Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey to win the spot, which will see him lead 20 other MPs from across party's in scrutinising the work of David Davis' department for exiting the European Union. It marks [...]
Sir Howard Davies wants the government to get on with airport expansion vote October 19, 2016 Sir Howard Davies, the chair of the Airports Commission – which made its recommendation on Heathrow over a year ago, could be forgiven for feeling a little impatient over airport expansion. And speaking at property conference MIPIM UK, Davies said a parliamentary vote on the matter should be held without delay. Read more: MPs threaten [...]
Sadiq Khan is expecting London visa proposals within weeks October 19, 2016 London Mayor Sadiq Khan is expecting to receive proposals for anew London visa system within weeks as he seeks to protect the City from some of the potential negative impacts of Brexit. Khan said last month that he was investigating the possibility that London could offer its own work permits in a bid to counter any [...]
Treasury in listening mode for Brexit negotiations, City minister tells Lords committee October 19, 2016 The Treasury is all ears when it comes to Brexit, the City minister has said today. Speaking in front of the House of Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee, Simon Kirby said his department was "very much in listening mode", adding that "government as a whole…is intend on getting the best possible deal for Britain". However, peers expressed [...]
Obama tells Trump to stop whining over “rigged election” claims October 19, 2016 Thank you, Barack Obama, for telling Donald Trump what we've all been thinking. The outgoing US President has told the Republican nominee to "stop whining" about the possibility that the election could be rigged. Trump has stepped up his attacks on his rival Hillary Clinton over the last week, accusing her of colluding with the [...]
Leaked government documents reveal £75bn cost of hard Brexit October 19, 2016 Theresa May has come under fire for regurgitating pre-referendum economic warnings to claim leaving the EU Customs Union would cost the UK £75bn and inflict travel chaos across the country. According to The Guardian, the Prime Minister has circulated papers to top cabinet colleagues on her Brexit planning committee outlining the potential mutli-billion pound cost of a [...]
Sadiq Khan is facing a grilling over London visas, taxies and his abandoned plans for 2m trees October 19, 2016 Sadiq Khan faces a grilling over his hopes to launch work permits for London today, with Assembly members also set to press the mayor on the scrapping of tree planting targets and the safe use of smartphone apps by cab drivers Khan has repeatedly stressed his desire to install a work permit system for the city [...]
The City is struggling with the Whitehall Brexit machine October 18, 2016 Key figures in the City are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as an indifferent and unsupportive approach towards the Square Mile in two of the government departments responsible for hammering out the UK’s Brexit deal. Several sources have indicated to City A.M. that, while Philip Hammond and his Treasury team are instinctively sympathetic [...]
Britain’s tech stars rally against Brexit immigration curbs in open letter October 18, 2016 Britain's top entrepreneurs leading the country's hottest startups have called on the government to ensure they can hang on to their access to talent and skills from abroad so they can remain competitive after Brexit. Zoopla boss Alex Chesterman and founder of fintech unicorn Funding Circle, Samir Desai, are among nearly 50 leaders of the UK’s most promising and successful [...]
Letter: Entrepreneurs urge government to consider access to tech talent after Brexit October 18, 2016 Entrepreneurs at the UK's fastest growing startups have signed an open letter urging government to consider the tech industry's need to access international talent in the wake of Brexit. Dear Editor, Britain’s digital industries are expanding at an extraordinary pace, creating jobs and contributing some £161bn in turnover to the economy. Companies like Just Eat, Mimecast, Shazam, Skyscanner, Mimecast and [...]