So what does the DUP really, really want? A no-deal Brexit December 14, 2018 “So tell me what you want, what you really, really want,” sang the Spice Girls in their debut single in June 1996, the same month that multi-party talks were established to kickstart the Irish peace process. Now, 22 years later, it is a question that could well be asked of the DUP. This week, all [...]
DEBATE: After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? December 14, 2018 After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? Mo Lovatt, lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries and co-chair of The Great Debate, says YES. The Prime Minister has survived a leadership challenge and some argue that nothing has changed. In Brexit terms, this is true: she remains stubbornly positioned between a [...]
Hard Brexit will be a disaster for British businesses, says Sir Richard Branson December 14, 2018 Sir Richard Branson has claimed that a hard Brexit would be a disaster for the UK and called on Prime Minister Theresa May to be honest about the consequences it could have. The Virgin Group founder has warned that leaving the EU without a deal would result in the closure of British businesses and that the [...]
As the warning signals flash red, now is the time to back business December 14, 2018 When thinking of the great moments of British enterprise, you would be forgiven for being consumed by nostalgia. The golden age of manufacturing, Victorian industrialists, Alan Turing, the internet, Concorde, the discovery of DNA – what then of today, the Brexit Blues? Think again. This is the age of the entrepreneur – 99 per cent [...]
Judge Theresa May on her policies, not on her gender December 14, 2018 “Having failed at an impossible task no one else wanted, the men in grey suits are lining up to push… their female leader off the glass cliff.” So tweeted the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) on Wednesday afternoon, before the confidence vote in Theresa May’s leadership took place. It’s not exactly a kind write-up for the [...]
Blair says UK must prepare for a second Brexit referendum December 14, 2018 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is to say that the UK and EU should prepare for a second referendum because parliament is unlikely to be able to agree on a Brexit deal. Blair will say it is perverse that the UK and the EU are preparing for a potentially economically damaging Brexit without any deal, [...]
US Senate passes resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince for Khashoggi death December 14, 2018 The US Senate has passed a resolution on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, putting the blame firmly at the feet of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In a rare move against the wishes of US President Donald Trump, who has maintained the Crown Prince's innocence to date, seven Republicans joined Democrat lawmakers [...]
Editor’s Notes: Wherever Brexit takes us, let’s hope it’s not Norway December 14, 2018 Theresa May remains in office, and all her difficulties remain with her. By surviving Wednesday night’s vote, she has secured a grace period of 12 months during which time she cannot be challenged again. However, Labour MPs are determined to call a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, which could destroy the Tory-DUP [...]
Mark Kleinman: Come in Houston, just as UK audit reforms bite December 14, 2018 Talk about a hospital pass. Richard Houston, Deloitte’s consulting chief, might be forgiven for feeling a bit like Theresa May this week. Houston’s is the solitary name on a ballot open to partners at the Big Four accountancy firm’s UK operation as it seeks to elect a successor to David Sproul, its chief executive for [...]
Theresa May delays crunch Brexit vote until January December 13, 2018 MPs won’t get a vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal until January, Downing Street have confirmed. The withdrawal agreement was set to be put before Parliament on Tuesday, but was pulled the day before as May faced a growing rebellion within her own party. The Prime Minister has been in conversations with EU leaders since [...]