Tech giants should be held to compulsory ‘code of ethics’, MPs say February 18, 2019 Facebook and other tech giants should face stricter regulation to tackle the spread of fake news and misuse of personal data, MPs said today. Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg was harshly criticised in the final report on disinformation by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee, having declined several invitations to attend [...]
Labour MPs expected to resign today over divisions on Brexit and antisemitism February 18, 2019 Rumblings of a Labour party split look set to reach a head as sources told the media the disaffected MPs would resign today. Senior party sources told the BBC that the leadership was expecting a handful to resignations while Sky News said the group would make a statement later this morning on "the future of British politics". Those [...]
UK faces ‘large gaps’ in the law as just 13 per cent of EU regulations have been transferred ahead of Brexit February 18, 2019 Businesses face extensive disruption on the UK's scheduled departure date from the EU unless thousands of laws are amended in time for the 29 March deadline. Just 13 per cent of EU legislative regulations have been earmarked for retention by the government, meaning it faces a huge task in ensuring that all relevant laws are [...]
Labour moderates are approaching breaking point February 17, 2019 Michael Dugher has been a member of the Labour party for 28 years and was a Labour MP from 2010-2017. Before entering parliament he worked in Downing Street for Gordon Brown. This week, he is resigning from the party – citing Jeremy Corbyn's failure to deal with anti-Semitism. Dugher says “the Labour party I joined [...]
EU vehicles pose no threat to US, carmakers say as Trump mulls huge tariffs February 17, 2019 European cars do not pose a threat to US national security, one of Germany’s biggest car lobbies said today as the White House considers slapping new tariffs on imports. Lobby group the VDA said that the US benefits from German carmakers. US President Donald Trump was today given a Commerce Department report into whether imported cars and parts [...]
Theresa May issues last-minute Brexit plea to Tory MPs ahead of Brussels visit February 17, 2019 Theresa May has appealed to her warring MPs to set aside their "personal differences" on Brexit and unite behind her deal, as she faces another strained week of negotiations with Brussels. The PM wrote all Conservative MPs urging them to "move beyond what divides us" and warning that "history will judge us". May's latest plea [...]
China: How George Osborne’s ‘golden era’ lost its shine February 17, 2019 When former chancellor George Osborne visited China in 2015, he pronounced it the start of a “golden era” of Sino-British relations. Britain threw itself into tens-of-billions of pounds worth of trade deals, Osborne turned a blind eye to a litany of Chinese human rights abuses and President Xi Jinping even joined David Cameron for a pint [...]
Jeremy Wright says social media firms could face criminal sanctions over harmful online content February 17, 2019 Culture secretary Jeremy Wright has said social media firms face criminal sanctions if they fail to protect users from harmful content, ahead of a visit to the US on the issue of internet safety. Next week Wright will head to the US with digital minister Margot James, where he expects to meet "senior people" at the [...]
John McDonnell says Labour has ‘held the party together on Brexit’ as rumours of split harden February 17, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said the Labour leadership has "held the party together" over Brexit as he addressed reports of an impending split. Jeremy Corbyn's number two said it would be "ridiculous" for the party to be divided over Brexit, saying there was "no need to split". However, a number of MPs, including former [...]
Sir Richard Branson looking for additional investment in Virgin space ventures February 16, 2019 Sir Richard Branson has hired corporate finance firm LionTree Advisors to help raise hundreds of millions of pounds to invest in Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, according to Sky News. It comes months after Branson halted a $1bn (£775m) Saudi-funded deal amid the political tension over Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Discussions are already under way with a number of potential investors, including [...]