Ursula von der Leyen: ‘Narrow path to agreement’ in Brexit talks December 16, 2020 Ursula von der Leyen said there is a "path to agreement now" this morning, as hopes of striking a Brexit deal by the end of the week rise.
Tory mayoral candidate under fire for using fake City Hall logo on campaign leaflets December 16, 2020 The Conservative party’s candidate for London mayor has drawn sharp criticism for using fake City Hall coats of arms on campaign letters sent out to voters. The letters from Shaun Bailey were branded with messages saying “Do not ignore”, alongside fake City Hall insignia with a cod Latin motto underneath. They also warned Londoners their [...]
Climate progress dashboard: Will a Biden Paris U-turn inspire action? December 16, 2020 | City Talk The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) would have taken place in Glasgow, Scotland, this month if it was not for the coronavirus pandemic. Global leaders were expected to come back together with tougher and more detailed plans to underpin the Paris Agreement. While COP26 has been delayed until 2021, the last few [...]
Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
Queen faces technical hitch during KPMG video call December 16, 2020 The Queen faced a technical hitch while on a call with KPMG yesterday, proving even the royal family are not immune from video call mishaps. Her Majesty paid a virtual visit to KPMG on Tuesday to mark the firm’s 150th anniversary, where she spoke via video call with five individuals at the Big Four firm. [...]
Boris Johnson did not want to settle Sonia Khan unfair dismissal case out of court December 15, 2020 Boris Johnson issued an order to not settle a high-profile unfair dismissal claim out of court, despite the advice of one of the country’s top civil servants. Sonia Khan, who was dismissed by Dominic Cummings last year for alleged leaking, was last month paid out in the region of £100,000 by the government in an [...]
Brexit: UK signs continuity trade deal with Mexico December 15, 2020 The UK has signed a continuity trade deal with Mexico, which will ensure trade between the two countries will not be disrupted after the Brexit transition period ends next year. The deal will see the two countries continue to trade on the same terms as under the EU-Mexico trade deal, however both sides have now [...]
Parlez-vous Français? Paris’ finance sector gets ready to seize post-Brexit opportunities December 15, 2020 Paris’ claims to be Europe’s culture and culinary capital are well known, however its finance credentials are somewhat less established. The City of Light ranked behind London, Zurich, Luxembourg, Geneva, Frankfurt and even Edinburgh in the World Bank’s Global Financial Centres Index for 2020. However, with Brexit around the corner, and no full EU equivalence [...]
PM to visit India in January in bid to bolster economic ties December 15, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will fly to India in January 2021 in an effort to strengthen economic and political relations between the two countries. It will be Johnson’s first major bilateral visit since becoming PM, and will come soon after the UK leaves the EU single market at the end of the post-Brexit transition period [...]
Fines, bans and directors liable: Government plans Big Tech crackdown December 15, 2020 The government is set to announce sweeping new measures for social media companies, as part of a crackdown on big tech. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden and Home Secretary Priti Patel will today propose plans to hand Ofcom considerable powers over social media firms. Ofcom handed new powers The regulator will be able to fine companies [...]