Rory Stewart makes ‘offer’ to work with Nigel Farage to deliver Brexit June 16, 2019 Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart has said he would work with Nigel Farage’s Brexit party to ensure that Britain’s withdrawal from the EU is delivered. The international development secretary, who is one of five candidates jostling to replace Theresa May as leader, told Farage that parliament “has to find a route” to deliver Brexit. “Which [...]
Serco tried to merge with struggling Babcock June 16, 2019 Outsourcing giant Serco has tried twice to merge with its considerably bigger rival Babcock as they both grapple with a tough industry. Serco’s chair, Sir Roy Gardner, reportedly contacted Mike Turner, who heads Babcock’s board, at the end of 2018. Turner rejected the proposal, the Sunday Times reported. However, this did not stop Serco from [...]
Credit Suisse prepares to sue HMRC over tax on bonuses June 16, 2019 Lawyers representing Credit Suisse are preparing for a battle to reclaim more than £200m from the taxman over bankers’ bonuses. The bank was forced to pay a 50 per cent tax on bonuses above £25,000 in 2010. However, it is now looking to claim back at least £239m, claiming the temporary tax unfairly affected its [...]
48m without electricity as power down in all of Argentina and Uruguay June 16, 2019 Around 50m people were thought to be without electricity yesterday as a major fault shut down power in the whole of Argentina. The country’s grid “collapsed” early in the morning, authorities said. Meanwhile, supplies were affected in neighbouring Paraguay and Uruguay. Energy distribution company Edesur Argentina, tweeted this morning that a massive failure in the [...]
Jeremy Hunt says he would be prepared to delay Brexit past October June 16, 2019 Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he would be prepared to delay Brexit, saying he would not commit to “a 31 October hard stop at any costs”. The Tory leadership hopeful also could not promise that Brexit would be delivered by the end of this year. Read more: Liam Fox backs foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt [...]
Jeremy Hunt slams Corbyn’s ‘pathetic’ response to oil tanker attack blamed on Iran June 15, 2019 The foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has branded Jeremy Corbyn “pathetic” after the Labour leader said there was no credible evidence that Iran attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Corbyn accused the government of increasing the threat of war after the foreign office said it was “almost certain” the Iranian military were behind [...]
‘Ideological war’ over future of AI as businesses warn against robot tax June 15, 2019 Businesses and trade bodies have urged the government and industry to embrace the rise of robots and better prepare workers and future generations. The business, energy, and industrial strategy (Beis) committee is in the midst of an inquiry into the automation and the future of work in the UK. Read more: The robots are coming [...]
Second home ownership soars towards the value of £1 trillion June 15, 2019 The number of British people owning a second home has soared by more than 50 per cent since 2001 as the value of additional property wealth nears £1 trillion, according to a new report. Research from think tank the Resolution Foundation revealed that 5.5 million people – around one in ten of the UK population [...]
UBS economist must ‘pay the price’ over Chinese pigs comment, state media says June 15, 2019 Chinese state media has warned UBS economist Paul Donovan must “pay the price” over remarks he made referencing Chinese pigs. The Swiss banking giant apologised earlier this week after its global chief economist’s comments sparked outrage in China. Read more: UBS apologises after economist’s ‘Chinese pigs’ comment sparks public outrage Donovan made the comments in [...]
Hong Kong leader suspends extradition bill after mass protests June 15, 2019 Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has indefinitely delayed a controversial extradition bill following mass protests. The proposed law, allowing extraditions to mainland China, were met with Hong Kong’s biggest street protests in decades. Read more: MPs urge China to respect Hong Kong freedoms after protests turn violent Earlier this week, police fired tear gas and [...]