Sir Keir Starmer says Labour Brexit position was ‘right policy’ February 16, 2020 Labour leadership frontrunner Sir Keir Starmer has labelled the party’s Brexit position “the right policy”, despite losing many seats in Leave-voting areas. Labour suffered its worst election result in December since 1935, winning just 207 seats and conceding an 80-seat majority to the Conservatives. The party lost a swathe of seats in its northern heartlands, [...]
Rory Stewart wants to set up City of London embassies across EU February 16, 2020 City of London embassies will be set up across EU capital if Rory Stewart is elected mayor of London. The ex-international development secretary is running as an independent mayoral candidate in the May election, after having the Conservative whip removed last year over his opposition to a no-deal Brexit. Stewart believes as mayor of London [...]
Barclays boss Jes Staley ‘ready to talk to FBI’ about Jeffrey Epstein February 16, 2020 Barclays chief executive Jes Staley is ready to tell US authorities everything he knows about Jeffrey Esptein following revelations that British regulators are probing his links with the paedophile financier. Lawyers for Epstein’s victims have urged the banking boss to speak with the FBI and hand over any information he has on his former client. [...]
Times Radio circles BBC stars ahead of hiring spree February 16, 2020 Times Radio is said to be making generous offers to some of the BBC’s biggest stars as Rupert Murdoch’s new radio venture looks to lure in top talent. The station, which will launch later this year, is in talks with Radio 4 Any Questions host Chris Mason and has approached Today programme frontman Nick Robinson, [...]
Boris Johnson considers tearing up Sajid Javid’s fiscal rules February 16, 2020 Boris Johnson is considering scrapping the fiscal rules written by the Treasury just months ago in a bid to increase spending in next month’s budget. Ex-chancellor Sajid Javid wrote the rules into the Tories’ 2019 election manifesto in an attempt to exercise fiscal restraint amidst a swathe of spending pledges. The primary rules were promises [...]
Business group guru John Longworth plots new pro-Brexit rival to CBI February 16, 2020 Former British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) chief John Longworth is said to be plotting the launch of a new business lobby group to take on the CBI. Longworth left the BCC in 2016 shortly after the organisation suspended him for saying the UK’s future could be “brighter” outside the European Union. A new group would [...]
Intu seeks to raise boss’s bonus amid financial troubles February 16, 2020 Beleaguered retail landlord Intu could face a showdown with investors over executive pay, as it seeks to hike the potential bonus of new chief executive Matthew Roberts. Intu is seeking to bring the the potential share awards in its long-term incentive plan back up to 250 per cent, after the scheme was cut back to [...]
Rail franchising model ‘set to be scrapped’ in coming weeks February 16, 2020 Boris Johnson is set to dramatically overhaul the nation’s rail network by scrapping the rail franchise model and capping profits by private providers. Former British Airways boss Keith Williams was drafted to conduct a review of Britain’s railways last year, with the report set to be released in the coming weeks. It’s now expected that [...]
Grant Shapps denies DfT talks with China over HS2 contract February 16, 2020 The transport secretary Grant Shapps has today denied reports his department has held talks with China over building the HS2 rail link. The Financial Times reported China’s state-run railway company had offered to build the line in five years at significantly reduced cost. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in parliament that the scheme would go [...]
Youtube TV withdraws from App Store in blow to Apple February 16, 2020 Youtube TV is set to become the latest subscription service to cut ties with Apple’s App Store amid complaints about the hefty fees charged by the tech giant. The TV streaming service last week told customers that from next month it will no longer accept payments through Apple in-app purchases. The iPhone maker takes a [...]