UK inks trade deal with Switzerland – despite shouting match Politics The UK and Switzerland have inked a new free trade deal that ministers say will boost Britain’s services economy by some £5.2bn a year – despite talks breaking down just weeks ago to such an extent that both parties were “shouting at each other”. The agreement is the largest the UK has negotiated since it [...]
Steel tariffs watered down after industry backlash Industrials Government ministers have watered down the looming steel tariffs after manufacturers warned that the measures intended to safeguard Britain’s steelmakers would cause “immediate hardship” on downstream businesses. In a written statement to parliament, trade minister Chris Bryant confirmed the government would now slash the tariff-free steel import quota by 51 per cent, as opposed to [...]
Labour’s pre-loved tech charter won’t fix the UK’s digital divide, say experts telecoms The UK government’s new ‘IT reuse for good’ charter has drawn corporate backing, and a chorus of applause from Whitehall to Vodafone HQ for tackling major issues of digital exclusion and electronic waste. But donating devices is not a digital inclusion strategy – and certainly not enough to fix a broken, unequal system. The charter, [...]