Theresa May could trigger Brexit talks as soon as April, despite warnings to wait until after French and German elections August 20, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May could be set to trigger the formal processes to leave the EU before next year's French and German elections, despite calls to delay until the autumn. May has only previously said the government would not open the two-year window for Brexit talks until next year. However, Bloomberg yesterday reported that she could activate Article 50 as [...]
Yes, Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes are going to be honoured with a parade in Manchester and a separate celebration in London August 20, 2016 A record medal haul for British athletes at the Rio Olympics is to be recognised with a parade through the streets of Manchester, with a separate party planned in London. It comes after some had questioned whether the successes of Team GB would be celebrated – former Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent had suggested plans [...]
The Ministry of Justice has inked a £120m deal for translators – leaving the contractor hunting for more than 3,000 staff by November August 19, 2016 The Ministry of Justice has inked the largest deal for interpreters in Europe, paying £120m for a four year deal with languages company Thebigword, beginning at the end of October. The MoJ deal comes in addition to a £60m government contract signed in May to provide services to the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the NHS, [...]
Post Office workers are going on strike as the CWU demands government steps in over job losses August 19, 2016 Another day, and another strike has been announced – this time by Post Office workers, who have voted to go on strike over job losses. In a statement today the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said 83.2 per cent of those balloted had voted for industrial action to protest against cost-cutting measures. “Staff in the Post [...]
Internet spying powers are “a vital utility” for fighting terrorism, an independent review has found August 19, 2016 British spies should be allowed to harvest data en masse from emails, a review of terror legislation has concluded. David Anderson QC said there was no viable alternative to the use of so-called bulk interception powers by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. The report concluded there was a “proven operational case” for three out of the four powers examined, [...]
Sadiq Khan and Theresa May are both making supportive noises about an Olympic victory parade August 19, 2016 Sadiq Khan has come out in favour of an Olympic victory parade after the Rio games, while Downing Street is also hinting at support, despite rumours that a celebration of British athletes had been "binned". Team GB currently sits second in the medal table in Rio, but former Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent has suggested that despite parades [...]
British Airways set to gain access to Chinese domestic market August 19, 2016 British Airways is gearing up for access to China's domestic market as it launches a new partnership with China Eastern Airlines. Through the partnership with the Shanghai-based carrier, customers in the UK will be able to fly to regional Chinese destinations. Read more: Yep, a weaker pound has hit British Airlines owner IAG Alex Cruz, [...]
Should the UK automatically defend Nato allies? Jeremy Corbyn isn’t convinced August 19, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has suggested the UK should not automatically come to the aid of Nato allies facing aggression. Speaking at last night's Labour leadership hustings against Owen Smith, Corbyn said he will seek to use diplomacy, rather than use armed force. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made similar suggestions on the US' Nato [...]
By boycotting G4S and putting its party conference in jeopardy, Labour has cut off its nose to spite its face August 19, 2016 Amid the mud-slinging which has made up the Labour Party’s leadership contest, you might have missed this nugget: Labour’s annual conference is on the brink of being cancelled because it finds itself without a security detail. In doing so, it is potentially alienating thousands of voters – and not just because they won’t be able to [...]
Successive governments have failed on energy policy, IoD survey says August 19, 2016 The last three governments have continuously failed to deliver an adequate energy policy, according to a damning survey of business leaders released today. A poll of nearly 1,000 bosses by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found that seven in ten thought the Labour, Coalition and Conservative governments hadn't provided reasonably priced energy. Two-thirds also complained [...]