Britain will need an effective opposition June 30, 2016 Given the scale of the change that the British people have voted for, and the chaos it has unleashed across European politics and markets, it may seem strange that the number one story in town has been the circular firing squad that currently passes for Her Majesty's Opposition. Jeremy Corbyn has endured days of high-profile [...]
Trade groups call for taskforce to safeguard UK’s Brexit negotiations June 30, 2016 Business groups are mounting pressure on the government to take action following the UK’s vote to quit the European Union. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has called for the creation of a business taskforce to “ensure business priority issues form a key part of both domestic policy and EU exit negotiations”. The proposals were [...]
What now? The UK and the EU Single Market June 29, 2016 Now the UK has voted to leave the European Union, the focus on what kind of relationship we should forge with the trading bloc has taken on a new intensity. We are no longer talking hypothetically and the debate over whether we should have “access to” or be “in” the Single Market is more than semantic. [...]
Ten trade unions have hit out at the “deeply regrettable and unnecessary” crisis engulfing Labour, while acknowledging calls for a leadership election June 29, 2016 Ten of the UK's trade unions have slammed the conduct of the party's MPs, acknowledging Labour is heading for a leadership election. The carefully worded statement from the leaders of unions including Unite, Unison and GMB, argue that Corbyn is the democratically-elected leader of the party, chosen under procedures backed by Labour MPs. And while the statement stops short of directly [...]
As Jeremy Corbyn clings onto the Labour leadership, is a split within the party now inevitable? June 29, 2016 Tim Worstall, senior fellow of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Labour has been splitting for all my adult life. A difference has always existed between those who understand that there is a spectrum of possible economic and political models, which must exclude a non-market system, and those who do not. This is what the [...]
The leaders of France and Spain have slammed Scotland’s hopes of negotiating directly with the EU following last week’s Brexit vote June 29, 2016 Scotland's efforts to negotiate its own relationship with the EU have hit a setback after the leaders of France and Spain stressed that Europe should deal solely with the UK. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been in Brussels today, meeting European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament president Martin Schulz, and stressing Scotland's desire to [...]
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has ruled himself out of participating in a leadership contest against Jeremy Corbyn June 29, 2016 Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has ruled out challenging Jeremy Corbyn, while adding he expects there to be a leadership election. Watson told the BBC that while he would not take on Corbyn, he expected there to be a challenge from among the party's MPs, adding that he had asked the leader if a "negotiated settlement" was possible, [...]
Politicians in US, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea push for new UK trade deals after Brexit June 29, 2016 Politicians in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea are keen to secure new trade deals with the UK as it prepares to leave the European Union. In the US, speaker of the house Paul Ryan has said: “We need to emphasise that they are our indispensable ally, we have a special relationship, and [...]
Liam Fox has confirmed that he will fight to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister and Conservative party leader June 29, 2016 Former defence minister Liam Fox will tomorrow formally reveal plans to replace David Cameron as Conservative leader and Prime Minister. David Cameron announced he would be stepping down on Friday, following the UK's vote to leave the EU. And now Fox, who campaigned for a Leave vote, has told radio station LBC that he will [...]
Sorry, petitioners: Most Britons don’t support the idea of a second EU membership referendum June 29, 2016 That petition for a second EU referendum may have passed the four million mark, but new research has suggested that the majority of Britons would rather not do it all again. A poll by YouGov and Channel 5 found 58 per cent are against a second referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, while 31 per cent [...]