British pound soars after Boris Johnson suffers Brexit blow September 4, 2019 The pound soared against the dollar in early trading today after MPs left Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy in tatters last night. Sterling climbed 0.62 per cent against the USD dollar to hit $1.2163 after 21 Tory MPs rebelled against the Prime Minister in a vote that could force him to seek a Brexit extension. Read [...]
The 21 Tory MPs Boris Johnson has sacked from the party after Brexit defeat September 4, 2019 Boris Johnson’s historic showdown with MPs ended last night with 21 Tory rebels being expelled from the party. The Prime Minister, who lost a crucial vote yesterday that gives the Commons control of the order paper, swiftly sacked 21 MPs who rebelled against him in the battle to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Among the MPs [...]
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam expected to withdraw controversial extradition bill September 4, 2019 Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, is reportedly set to announce the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill that sparked three months of protests in the territory. The South China Morning Post reported that Lam would announce the formal withdrawal of the proposed bill later on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Other local media outlets also [...]
Housebuilder Barratt Developments defies Brexit jitters as profits climb September 4, 2019 Barratt Developments shrugged off concerns of a housing market slowdown today after reporting a rise in pre-tax profits for the year to June 2019. The figures Britain’s largest housebuilder, which has been reducing its exposure to Central London’s subdued property market, posted profits before tax of £910m in the 12 months to 30 June, rising [...]
Halfords’ sales pedal down amid political uncertainty hitting consumers September 4, 2019 Halfords has warned that its summer sales were weaker than hoped after the bicycle and car maintenance retailer suffered from poor weather and a lack of consumer confidence. The company said it expects “political and economic uncertainty” to hit customers’ spending habits for the rest of the year. Shares fell 2.6 per cent in morning [...]
Surge in PPI claims could cost RBS an extra £900m September 4, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has warned that an unprecedented number of PPI claims in the run up to the August deadline could cost it up to an extra £900m. Read more: Banks buckle under the strain of PPI claims RBS expects to take an additional charge of between £600m and £900m relating to the [...]
Mortgages, pensions and other savings products are not designed for self-employed workers – here’s what needs to change September 4, 2019 A growing number of us are choosing to go it alone. According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of self-employed workers is now nearing the five million mark. That’s around 15 per cent of the UK workforce, and a million more people than the same period in 2009, with London [...]
MPs have only themselves to blame for the Brexit mess we’re in September 4, 2019 On 23 June 2016, the British people voted narrowly, but with a clear margin nonetheless, to leave the European Union. The precise form that this leaving would take – with a deal, and if so what type, or without – was not clarified at the time, but the intention was firmly stated and unequivocal. This [...]
DEBATE: Should the Conservative party deselect MPs who rebel this week? September 4, 2019 Should the Conservative party deselect MPs who rebel this week? Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES. Everyone, subject to exceptions not applicable here, has a right to stand for parliament. But nobody has a right to be the adopted candidate of a specific party. That party’s members, activists and leaders must be willing to [...]
How to end the injustice of the skewed university degree system September 4, 2019 Imagine a world where Eton awarded its own A-levels. No one else could take them and, if you got an A grade in, for example, chemistry, it was worth more than an A grade in the same subject from any other exam board. It would be hideously unfair. Etonians would have a huge, inbuilt advantage [...]