Attorney General looks to prevent Britain being ‘trapped’ in a customs union, says cabinet minister March 4, 2019 Britain’s attorney general is looking to make legally binding changes to the Irish border backstop to ensure Britain is not "trapped" in a customs union, according to communities secretary James Brokenshire. Brokenshire said Geoffrey Cox, the UK’s top government lawyer, is determined to secure a revision to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal that prevents [...]
Fresh data reveals the folly of Britain’s apprentice levy March 4, 2019 Today is the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an event that should celebrate the endeavours of ambitious young adults across the country. Unfortunately, however, it is impossible to mark the occasion without noting the disaster that the government’s Apprenticeship Levy has become. The tax was launched with the supposed intention of lifting the number of [...]
Gagging orders face the ban amid allegations against Sir Philip Green March 3, 2019 Leading politicians have vowed today to ban controversial “gagging orders” that have risen to prominence in the wake of recent harassment allegations made against retail tycoon Sir Philip Green. Ministers have revealed sweeping plans this morning to tighten rules around non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which have been at the centre of bullying claims surrounding the Topshop owner [...]
Pimlico Plumbers boss Charlie Mullins takes home £4.9m in dividends March 3, 2019 Plumbing millionaire Charlie Mullins bagged £4.9m in dividends from his Pimlico Plumbers business last year, according to new accounts. The figure includes £1.6m in post year end dividends. In addition to dividends, Mullins and his son Scott, took home a combined £711,512 in pay for their work as directors of the company, taking their income [...]
Space X Dragon capsule successfully docks with International Space Station March 3, 2019 A capsule launched by Elon Musk’s Space X successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) today as part of its demonstration mission. The Dragon vehicle made the attachment autonomously having launched on Saturday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 4.9 metre tall capsule contained a dummy called Ripley and 90kg of supplies. It [...]
Tory Brexiters draw up list of terms for backing Theresa May’s exit deal March 3, 2019 Tory Brexiters have drawn up a list of conditions that Theresa May needs to satisfy in order to receive their backing in a looming crunch Commons vote on her Brexit deal. Members of the European Research Group (ERG), chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg, have drawn up “three tests” that May has to meet in order for [...]
Space X launches unmanned crew capsule to International Space Station in step forward for sending humans into orbit March 2, 2019 Elon Musk’s Space X on Saturday took a giant leap forward in its quest to resume human space flight from US soil, launching a rocket with an unmanned crew capsule towards the International Space Station. Space X’s 4.9 metre tall Crew Dragon capsule, on a Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center [...]
EU ready to give UK more guarantees Irish backstop is temporary March 2, 2019 The European Union is prepared to offer more guarantees to the UK that the Irish border backstop is only intended to be temporary with less than two weeks until parliament vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's deal. The bloc's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has labelled the backstop as an "insurance" but has moved to [...]
Trump asks China to lift tariffs on US agricultural exports as trade talks ‘move along nicely’ March 2, 2019 President Donald Trump has said he has ask China to lift its tariffs on US agricultural imports because of good progress in the latest round of trade talks. He has also put plans on hold to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, which were originally scheduled for Friday. Read more: US and China [...]
Tesla shares drop as Elon Musk outlines plan to close stores and move sales online in bid to cut car prices March 1, 2019 Tesla is set to close most of its physical locations as it shifts worldwide sales online, it said today, sending shares down almost eight per cent to 295p. Read more: Regulator accuses Elon Musk of misleading investors with new Tesla tweet The stores will not close immediately but are expected to “wind down” over the [...]