Raab condemns ousting of Hong Kong opposition lawmakers as assault on freedoms November 11, 2020 British foreign secretary Dominic Raab has condemned the expulsion of four opposition pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong as an assault on the city’s autonomy and freedoms. Hong Kong ousted four opposition politicians from the city’s legislature for “endangering security” after China passed a resolution allowing the city’s executive to expel legislators deemed dangerous to national [...]
Brexit: UK-EU trade talks unlikely to yield breakthrough by this week’s deadline November 11, 2020 The UK and EU are reportedly not on track to hit this week’s deadline to seal a post-Brexit trade deal. Sources close to the negotiations told Reuters that talks are set to drag into next week, despite both sides’ commitment to “redouble” efforts, as disagreements on fisheries and state aid policy continues to prevent serious [...]
Ministers to block foreign takeovers of UK firms under new law November 11, 2020 The government will today unveil legislation which will enable ministers to intervene and block firms in hostile states from taking over UK companies. Under the National Security and Investment Bill, it will be mandatory for deals involving firms in 17 sectors deemed of strategic importance to be notified to officials. In addition, the government will [...]
Former Vote Leave spokesperson tipped as Number 10’s new chief of staff November 11, 2020 Boris Johnson is poised to appoint his current head of communications and former Vote Leave spokesperson as Number 10’s chief of staff, according to reports. Lee Cain, who headed up the Vote Leave campaign alongside Johnson’s aide Dominic Cummings during the Brexit referendum is set to be promoted to one of Downing Street’s top jobs, [...]
Fifty rebel Tory MPs form anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have formed a new backbench group to protest the imposition of new lockdown restrictions across the country. Former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker will head up the new Covid Recovery Group (CRG) as chairman and deputy chairman. Harper has also recruited prominent senior backbenchers including Sir [...]
Rebel Tory MPs launch anti-lockdown campaign group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have launched a new group aimed at blocking the rollout of another national lockdown. Former chief whip Mark Harper and Brexiter Steve Baker will lead the new Covid Recovery Group, while Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 committee, is also a member. The group will argue for a [...]
DEBATE: Should NHS staff be given a pay rise? November 11, 2020 Anthony Johnson, a nurse and an organiser with Nurses United, says YES. The Covid crisis has shown like never before just how central the NHS is to everyone’s wellbeing and safety. From our cleaners to our GPs, the entire team is essential. And if we don’t pay people fairly, they will be forced to find [...]
Leaders in Lockdown: Eyes on the road ahead, there’s no going back November 11, 2020 The hope this week of a Covid-19 vaccine has already got people talking of “going back to normal” — perhaps even by spring. But there will be no going back for British business. The events of the last eight months have changed things forever. In March, as Covid spread from mainland Europe to the City [...]
What next for one-term President Donald Trump? November 11, 2020 There perhaps nothing that will hurt Donald Trump more than being a one-term wonder. Politics is a cruel game, there is no second place, and falling short is both brutal and public. For a man with an ego that the world has come to know, the last six weeks as a caretaker President will rankle. [...]
The public are not to blame for the second lockdown November 11, 2020 Justice secretary Robert Buckland last week blamed the public for England’s new lockdown. In particular, the fault was with people failing to self-isolate properly. Of course, in a purely technical sense Buckland is right. The virus spreads by contact with an infected person. If people do not self-isolate, Covid-19 will continue to percolate across the [...]