EU repeats it does not want to use Brexit backstop in letter designed to help May win crunch vote January 14, 2019 EU leaders have released a letter reiterating the so-called backstop plan would only ever be temporary after Brexit, but have refused to reopen negotiations to amend the proposal in the withdrawal deal. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk gave the assurances in a letter published a day before MPs vote [...]
What3words wants to replace your address with three simple words, but how do you market such a revolutionary idea? January 14, 2019 Erase. Damp. Name. No, I’ve not gone mad due to the latest Brexit drama – these three words make up my exact location as I write this article. This information comes from What3words, a technology startup that’s trying to revolutionise – wait for it – addresses. It has divided up the entire world into a [...]
No Brexit is more likely than a no-deal Brexit, Theresa May warns on eve of parliament’s crunch vote January 14, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May is set to warn MPs today that no Brexit at all is the most likely outcome if parliament blocks her EU exit agreement tomorrow. May is expected to urge lawmakers to back her deal in tomorrow’s crunch parliamentary vote in order to secure Brexit, saying a no-deal Brexit is less likely [...]
Britain’s economic hopes rest not on productivity, but happiness January 14, 2019 They were the best of times, they were the worst of times. Thank you, Dickens, for words that capture the daily diet of our much-divided Britain. Happiness seems to be much on our minds, mainly because it seems so difficult to attain and then maintain. Next week we face Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing [...]
UK received more Chinese investment than any other country in the Western world last year despite sharp drop January 14, 2019 The UK received more Chinese investment than any other country in Europe and North America last year despite a sharp drop on the previous year. Chinese investment in the UK fell 76 per cent to $4.94bn (£3.84m) in 2018, according to research from law firm Baker McKenzie. The drop was largely due to the absence [...]
Demand for financial services drops for first time in five years and could fall further this quarter January 14, 2019 Demand for financial services has fallen for the first time in five years and business volumes could drop even further in the first quarter of 2019, firms have warned. A survey of 84 companies, carried out by the Confederation of British Industry and PwC, showed that business volumes and sentiment fell in the three months [...]
MPs seeking to relieve the government of its authority are playing a dangerous game January 13, 2019 Ahead of tomorrow's vote on Theresa May's proposed withdrawal agreement, it is worth reflecting on the legislative events that have brought us to this point. 554 MPs voted in favour of holding a referendum. It was presented, by the government of the day as well as leading Remain campaigners, as a once-in-a-lifetime event. Campaign material [...]
MPs plot to wrestle Brexit agenda away from Theresa May as vote on deal fast approaches January 13, 2019 A cross-party group of MPs is reportedly plotting to seize control of the Brexit negotiations as the countdown to vote on Theresa May's deal fast approaches. Senior backbenchers, including former minister Nick Boles and Labour MP Dominic Grieve, are reportedly spearheading efforts to shake up the Commons rulebook so that backbenchers' motions take precedence over [...]
Chris Grayling: Blocking Brexit could prompt surge in right-wing extremism January 12, 2019 The UK could see a huge surge in right-wing extremism if the government blocks or weakens Brexit, a cabinet minister has warned. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said any moves to block Theresa May’s Brexit deal would cause the 17m people who voted to leave the EU feel “cheated”. Grayling told the Daily Mail any intervention [...]
Tesco and M&S reveal stockpiling amid concerns of a ‘no deal’ Brexit January 12, 2019 Two of the UK’s biggest supermarkets have revealed they are stockpiling food in case of a “no deal” Brexit. Both Tesco and Marks & Spencer have confirmed they are stockpiling long-life food such as packets and tins ahead of the UK leaving the EU on March 29. M&S chief executive, Steve Rowe, admitted his company’s [...]