Javid sets out post-Brexit immigration rules in hotly anticipated white paper December 19, 2018 Home secretary Sajid Javid has unveiled the government's post-Brexit immigration plans in a white paper this afternoon, with low-skilled workers no longer automatically receiving the right to work in the UK. Javid had said earlier in the day that the plans wouldn't include a specific target to reduce annual net migration to the UK, however Prime Minister [...]
Jeremy Corbyn accused of calling Theresa May a ‘stupid woman’ at PMQs December 19, 2018 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of calling Theresa May a "stupid woman" during Prime Minister's Questions today, as calls mounted for him to apologise. The Prime Minister was mocking Corbyn during a clash over the government's Brexit deal, at which point he was caught on parliamentary cameras muttering words to himself. Speaker John Bercow was [...]
Elon Musk unveils the first high-speed Boring hyperloop tunnel in California December 19, 2018 Entrepreneur and Tesla chief Elon Musk has lifted the curtain on the first tunnel completed by his underground high-speed rail venture the Boring Company. In a 30-minute presentation, Musk described the 1.14 mile tunnel as a breakthrough in counteracting the "soul-destroying" traffic of Los Angeles, California. Despite previously suggesting the public would be offered free [...]
All change in 2019, as Europe heads to the polls December 19, 2018 Just as it is always 5 o’clock somewhere in the world, there are always voters preparing to go to the polls, even when they don’t hit the headlines here in the UK. In the first part of 2019, almost a third of the world’s population will take part in significant elections. In April and May [...]
The Ghost of Christmas Past could tell us where the negotiations all went wrong December 19, 2018 In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge finds being haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past unbearable. He begs it to stop. The Ghost replies: “These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me.” It might almost be the Prime Minister speaking about the whole [...]
Time for a migration policy based on sense December 19, 2018 Throughout the Brexit process, as the government’s core objectives and red lines have one by one been compromised away, a single aim has remained front, centre, and non-negotiable: end freedom of movement and give Britain control over its future immigration policy. The question, then, is how it will use this power. The long-awaited government white [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland lines up female interim chief financial officer for permanent role, reports December 18, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reportedly is on the cusp of shaking up the male-dominated boardrooms of the country’s biggest banks by naming interim chief financial officer (CFO) Katie Murray as its permanent head of finance. The bank is waiting for approval by banking watchdog the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) before naming Murray as CFO, [...]
Government ramps up planning for ‘no-deal’ Brexit December 18, 2018 The government is to implement its no-deal plans "in full" after cabinet agreed it should be the top priority in light of the uncertainty surrounding Theresa May's deal. Downing Street confirmed that cabinet ministers' respective departments would be expected to make no-deal planning their main priority, with departments such as the Home Office and the Department for Environment, [...]
Bumper rocket launch day blown off track as Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches postponed until tomorrow December 18, 2018 Tuesday was set to be a day which had rocket enthusiasts glued to their screens, with four commercial space missions planned for launches in the United States – but three have been postponed until tomorrow because of strong winds. The rockets include one made by Elon Musk’s Space X and another by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, but both have now [...]
From tech to Trump – here’s what prompted the big market moves of 2018 December 18, 2018 From Brexit to trade wars, nothing has been plain-sailing about 2018. It’s been a year of peaks and troughs across all major markets, so let’s have a look at the big moves of the past 12 months. Tech in turmoil This was the year when the tech giants raced to become the first ever $1 [...]