Theresa May ‘irritated’ by talk of leadership challenges September 16, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May has said she gets “irritated” by speculation about her position as leader of the Conservative Party, as she heads towards a crucial crunch meeting with EU leaders later this week. In an interview to mark six months until Britain is due to leave the European Union, May slapped down former foreign [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan joins calls for second referendum on Brexit September 16, 2018 The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has joined calls for a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, claiming the Conservative Party has been left with only “incredibly risky” options for Brexit. Khan, one of the Labour Party’s highest-ranking politicians, wrote in The Observer that an opportunity for the “best possible” Brexit [...]
Ruth Davidson rules out ever becoming Conservative leader September 16, 2018 Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has ruled herself out of ever making a bid to take the party’s top position, citing concerns about her family and mental health. Davidson, who is currently pregnant with her first child, told The Sunday Times of how she has been diagnosed with clinical depression aged 18, [...]
Labour will vote against Theresa May’s Brexit deal, says shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry September 15, 2018 Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has said Labour would most likely vote against any Brexit deal Theresa May brings back from Brussels. The frontbencher told the FT she "can't see" the government reaching an agreement that would meet Labour's six key tests, one of which is that Britain would continue to enjoy the same benefits [...]
Mark Carney says Chequers-style Brexit could ‘bounce’ UK economy by £16bn September 15, 2018 Bank of England (BoE) governor Mark Carney has said the UK economy could enjoy a £16bn "bounce" if Britain negotiates a trade deal along the lines of Theresa May's Chequers proposal. Details have emerged from a leaked cabinet meeting in which the Bank of England boss revealed he thought May's plan, which seeks a free trade area [...]
Electoral Commission allowed Vote Leave to break EU referendum spending rules September 14, 2018 The High Court ruled today that the Electoral Commission had misinterpreted EU referendum spending rules to the extent that it allowed Vote Leave to break the law. The commission had fined Vote Leave and Brexiter Darren Grimes after the group donated £620,000 to the campaigner. Both Grimes and Vote Leave claim they were acting on [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin urges parliament to reject Chequers for free trade deal as annual profits soar September 14, 2018 JD Wetherspoon chief executive Tim Martin has urged parliament to vote against Theresa May's Chequers deal as his company posted a boost in annual profit thanks to this summer's heatwave. The colourful pub-chain chief executive and Brexit advocate said a free trade deal with the EU would be a "huge gain" for businesses and consumers [...]
To win the Brexit prize, ditch Chequers and go back to the drawing board September 14, 2018 In all the confusion and turbulence that has accompanied the negotiations with the EU in recent months, we seem to have forgotten the Prime Minister’s Lancaster House speech, and in particular its important reference to what Theresa May called the Brexit “prize”. That prize must include the ability to improve our own domestic economy: by [...]
Why John Lewis’ price promise won’t deliver profits September 14, 2018 Retail bellwether John Lewis reported a 99 per cent drop in profits yesterday in what one analyst labelled a moment as significant as the fall of the Roman empire, as far as the struggling high street is concerned. The middle-class favourite’s profit before one-off items slumped to £1.4m in the six months to 28 July [...]
Bank of England boss Mark Carney warns house prices could fall by a third in a no-deal Brexit September 13, 2018 The governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney said house prices could crash 35 per cent over three years in the event of a no-deal Brexit in a briefing to cabinet today. Carney said if the UK crashed out of the European Union without a deal, a sharp rise in mortgage rates could torpedo [...]