Chancellor Philip Hammond says UK is seeking an ambitious new free trade deal with China in the aftermath of last month’s Brexit vote July 24, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond has launched talks over an ambitious new free trade deal as part of his visit to China. Hammond visited Beijing and Hong Kong ahead of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Chengdu, and yesterday said that both sides would want to ink a bilateral deal in the aftermath of Brexit. Asked specifically [...]
These famous faces are backing a new platform to fix the UK’s broken politics July 24, 2016 Martha Lane Fox, Dan Snow and Simon Schama are among the famous faces backing a new platform that's seeking to fix the UK's broken political systems – but it says it's not a political party. More United bills itself as a "tech-driven poltical startup" and "a new people's movement". The platform will support any candidate which abides by certain [...]
MPs call for “urgent” decision on airport expansion July 24, 2016 A final decision on expanding the UK's airport capacity needs to be made "urgently", a group of MPs have said, with further delay putting the economy at risk. A report from the British Infrastrucutre Group (BIG), a cross-party group led by Grant Shapps, urged Theresa May to make a decision "to show the new leadership's mettle". Read more: Heathrow [...]
Munich shopping centre attack: What we know so far about last night’s shooting July 23, 2016 Yesterday evening a shooter opened fire on shoppers at the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum mall in Munich's north-western suburb of Moosach. Police said this afternoon the attack was not a terrorist incident and was in fact a "classic shooting rampage". It was initially suspected to be a terrorist attack, heightened by another incident in Bavaria this week in which [...]
Sir Philip Green knighthood will be reviewed, Cabinet Office says July 22, 2016 Sir Philip Green may not be be able to use the prefix too much longer. The Cabinet Office have confirmed that his knighthood will be reviewed. Read more: Another 700 jobs at risk as more BHS store closures confirmed "A recommendation to cancel an honour is usually prepared by the department which drew up the [...]
Jeremy Corbyn has a more than 80 per cent chance of retaining Labour leadership, bookie says July 22, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn has more than an 80 per cent chance of keeping his job at the helm of the Labour Party, according to one bookmaker. Betfair says that Corbyn is currently rated at an 83 per cent chance in the Labour leadership contest. He's up against Owen Smith, who was one of a number of MPs [...]
There will not be a “hard Irish border” after Brexit, says Taoiseach Enda Kenny July 22, 2016 There won't be a "hard border" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the wake of the Brexit vote, the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said. Speaking at the British-Irish Council Kenny said: "We do not want to see a European border internally on the island of Ireland. "There will not be a hard border from [...]
Scottish National Party membership jumps by more than 25,000 since 2014 July 22, 2016 Membership of the Scottish National Party is up more than 25,000 since 2014 and has seen an uptick since the referendum. The party said its membership has now soared above 120,000 since the aftermath of the Brexit vote, jumping by 4,000 since the referendum. Member of Scottish Parliament and SNP business convener Derek Mackay said: “The [...]
Former pensions minister says time in Cameron’s government was like being in detention July 22, 2016 A former pensions minister has said that her time spent in David Cameron's government was like being in detention, with lasting effects on her health. “It has been the most terrible experience for me,” Ros Altmann said. Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, she said that she felt “micro-controlled”, adding “it affected my health without question. It’s a [...]
Political betting: This week’s big movers July 22, 2016 The referendum is over, Theresa May is Prime Minister, Donald Trump is officially the Republican presidential candidate, and Corbyn looks set to retain his place at the helm of the Labour party. So, all in all, a few question marks have been, or are likely to be, resolved soon. But that hasn't stopped the political betting [...]