Chomping at the bit: The race is on to be the next Tory leader October 17, 2018 There will be no deal this week. It was intended, then hoped for, but a Brexit deal is now as far away as it has ever been. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that there will be a late capitulation, the mother-of-all-compromises by Downing Street, presented as a victory for all [...]
Sadiq Khan cuts thousands of homes from Old Oak Common project amid funding pressures October 16, 2018 London mayor Sadiq Khan has slashed thousands of homes from a flagship housing project in Old Oak Common while it waits for approval for more government funding. City A.M. understands that the decision to pull the 2,250 homes was due to concerns around a lack of government funding. In January, the Old Oak and Park [...]
Theresa May refuses to set end date for when the UK will leave the EU customs union October 15, 2018 Theresa May today repeatedly refused to guarantee when the UK would stop being part of the EU’s customs union if a trade deal wasn’t completed by December 2020. Speaking to MPs 24 hours after Brexit talks seemed to breakdown in Brussels, the Prime Minister was asked to set a date for when her so-called ‘backstop’ [...]
Stand up to EU ‘bullies’, Boris Johnson tells Prime Minister after Brexit negotiations stall October 15, 2018 Boris Johnson today called on the Prime Minister to push back against the EU “bullies” following the collapse of Brexit talks between the UK and the bloc. The former foreign secretary claimed that negotiations are in the “moment of crisis” and warned that Theresa May must “stand up to bullies” as he applies pressure to [...]
Blockchain, Brexit, and the Irish border – how technology can help to solve this delicate problem October 11, 2018 With less than six months to go until Brexit, one of the biggest sticking points in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union remains undoubtedly the issue of the Irish border. If the UK does decide to leave the EU’s single market and customs union, it will become necessary to control and monitor goods [...]
Brand Boris: Johnson needs to shed his disrupter image if he wants to become a leader October 8, 2018 There was a particularly pithy Tweet doing the rounds just after the Conservative party conference last week: “in summary: Boris’s speech not good enough for him to take over; May’s not bad enough to be kicked out”. So, was Boris Johnson really just one speech away from leadership? Possibly. Because Boris, just like Donald Trump, “has [...]
The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
Theresa May and Boris Johnson were both in the shadow of Jeremy Corbyn at the Conservative conference October 3, 2018 Inevitably, Theresa May's speech was always going to be judged alongside her disastrous efforts this time last year. Twelve months ago she lost her voice and the stage fell apart, but even from that low bar her address in Birmingham was a successful outing for the PM. She also survived the alternative leader speech given by Boris [...]
The Green Room review: Find out what corporate hospitality means at the Kia Oval before you fork out to impress clients October 3, 2018 The last time I sat in a corporate box, it was miserable. A relative who worked for a bank had been offered tickets to a Muse gig at Wembley Stadium and invited me along as box meat to fill the space. At the time, I was a fan of the Devonshire space rockers, but I [...]
Theresa May declares ‘austerity is over’ as she lifts cap on how much councils can borrow for housebuilding October 3, 2018 Theresa May declared the end of austerity is in sight as she unveiled plans to let councils borrow more cash to tackle the housing crisis. In her speech to the Conservative conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister hinted at a financial boost for the UK's public services after Brexit, in a bid to show the [...]