Mike Hookem formally reprimanded after Stephen Woolfe altercation, but the former MEP is blamed for starting the fight October 26, 2016 An investigation into an "altercation" between two Ukip MEPs said it was not possible to verify what happened when they clashed at the European Parliament earlier this month, but blamed former party member Steven Woolfe for kicking off the argument. Ukip chairman Paul Oakden said that MEPs Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem "brought the party into disrepute" when news broke of an [...]
Brexit will be fast and smooth says WTO boss Roberto Azevedo October 26, 2016 UK's transition out of the European Union will be fast and smooth and there will be no disruption to trade, the head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said today. Roberto Azevedo vowed that the UK would not face a vacuum or a disruption when it leaves the bloc and it would continue to be [...]
Nicola Sturgeon calls for all-Scotland coalition to unite against ‘hard Brexit’ October 26, 2016 Nicola Sturgeon is to urge politicians, businesses and universities to join to form an "all-Scotland" coalition to oppose a hard Brexit. The first minister will say today that a hard Brexit will cost Scotland 80,000 jobs within a decade, and that expanding the economy and growing tax revenues are a priority for her government. She [...]
Labour’s new shadow City minister thinks they shouldn’t fight for Zac Goldsmith’s seat, but his party disagrees October 26, 2016 A fresh rift has emerged in the Labour party after three MPs – including two on Jeremy Corbyn's front bench – called on their party to stand aside in the battle for Zac Goldsmith's Richmond Park seat. Labour maintained this morning that Corbyn's party will field a candidate. Goldsmith stepped down as an MP yesterday, protesting against the government's decision to [...]
European Parliament president refers Ukip punch-up to French police October 26, 2016 President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz is referring a recent incident between Ukip MEPs Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem to French police, according to reports. Woolfe was hospitalised earlier this month after he collapsed at the parliament buildings in Strasbourg following an 'altercation' with Hookem. At the time of the incident, Schulz said the reports [...]
Leaked audio: Theresa May feared banks would leave the UK after Brexit October 26, 2016 Theresa May warned bankers before the referendum that she feared businesses would leave the UK if it voted to leave the European Union. A recording of a speech the then-home secretary gave to Goldman Sachs in May has been published by the Guardian, revealing she had numerous concerns about the impact that leaving the EU would [...]
Labour’s City man gets real over green belt October 26, 2016 Building in Britain is not always easy, as the debacle over airport expansion shows. The government satisfied business groups yesterday by revealing its intention to allow a third runway at Heathrow – but even though Theresa May has acted reasonably quickly, the verdict follows years of dawdling, and arrives nearly half a century after Harold Wilson [...]
Why everyone called Brexit wrong: Analysts have become too close to the elites they’re meant to analyse October 26, 2016 I have long held heretical views about political risk analysis, which cluster around what I call the “plumber’s test”. However bejeweled or slick at marketing a political risk firm may be, what matters in the end is that they are analytically correct. Just as I don’t invite back my local plumber if he fails to [...]
The Lord mayor will tonight tell the City to draft plans for a “bold, bright, buccaneering” post-Brexit future October 26, 2016 Lord mayor Jeffrey Mountevans will tomorrow call on City chiefs to develop a “buccaneering” 20 year vision for its future after Brexit. Speaking at the annual City Banquet at the Mansion House, he will warn that the City of London cannot afford to adopt a “wait and see” approach. “We must conceive a vision of the UK’s [...]
Philip Hammond is facing a huge £84bn shortfall in public finances over five years, according to policy experts October 26, 2016 Philip Hammond is facing a yawning £84bn shortfall in public finances over the next five years, according to policy experts. The chancellor is set to make his first Autumn Statement in just under a month, but sums from the Resolution Foundation suggest Treasury coffers are going to be under intense pressure thanks to economic turbulence. The think [...]