Putin critic Bill Browder slams ‘prostitution’ of UK firms working for Russian regime November 5, 2018 UK hedge fund boss and prominent critic of the Russian government Bill Browder today slammed UK firms that work for the Russian regime and its cronies. Speaking to City A.M. Browder said: “The most significant issue on Russian intelligence is not the official spies or even unofficial informants, but the British enablers to this process. [...]
Varadkar expresses ‘openness’ to Irish backstop review, but rules out British withdrawal November 5, 2018 Ireland Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said today he is open to the idea of a review of any so-called Irish backstop arrangement, as long as Britain could not decide to kill off the temporary measure. A way of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland is widely considered the biggest obstacle to the UK and [...]
Business confidence hits lowest level since the financial crisis November 5, 2018 Confidence among UK businesses has fallen to its lowest level since 2008 amid a lack of progress in Brexit negotiations, according to new figures published today. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales' (ICAEW's) Business Confidence Monitor index showed a sharp fall in confidence since last quarter from -0.2 to -12.3, lower than after both the [...]
Londongrad: Explosion in number of Russian spies in UK November 5, 2018 The number of Russian spies in the UK has exploded in recent years with up to five times as many Russian case offices in the UK as there were in 2010, a new report says. The report from think tank the Henry Jackson Society says there are 200 Russian case offices in the UK handling [...]
The US midterms show that mixing politics and advertising makes a volatile concoction November 5, 2018 The US midterm elections tomorrow are set to be a significant milestone. With record voter attendance expected and the structural balance of Congress at stake, these midterms will either reduce Donald Trump’s power, or give him a mandate to pursue his political goals. It is of no surprise then, with so much on the line, [...]
Governmental failure has left millions of Nigerians in the dark November 5, 2018 Government is, as former President Barack Obama pointed out, just that name for what we do together. Unfortunately, in some of the poorer parts of the world, it’s really the name for what does not get done at all. Nigeria is a prime example. It is a large oil producer with plentiful resources. It is [...]
US imposes ‘toughest ever’ sanctions on Iran hitting key oil sector November 5, 2018 The US has imposed its “toughest ever” round of sanctions on Iran hitting the nation's key oil export sector. Major parts of the Iranian economy including oil exports, shipping and banking will be affected, as President Donald Trump reintroduces sanctions that were scrapped under the Iran nuclear deal. Crowds gathered in Tehran yesterday evening with [...]
Watchdog summons Corbyn and McConnell to meeting over misuse of statistics November 4, 2018 The staff of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell have been summoned to a meeting by the UK’s statistics watchdog over the misuse of stats. Statistics Authority chairman David Norgrove has previously written to the Labour Party over a “lack of published information on sources, assumptions and methods to support statements”. In February [...]
HMRC to sue General Electric for £770m over tax relief claims November 4, 2018 American industrials giant General Electric is being sued by HM Revenue & Customs over allegations it wrongly claimed tax relief amounting to $1bn (£770m). HMRC has accused GE of wrongly claiming tax deductions from 2004 to 2015. The tax man has informed GE that it intends to disallow interest deductions to its financial services arm, GE Capital. Interest deductions reduce the [...]
Former Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood dies of cancer aged 56 November 4, 2018 Former Cabinet secretary and head of the civil service Sir Jeremy Heywood has died of cancer, aged 56. Heywood, who served in Downing Street under Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Tory leaders David Cameron and Theresa May, retired from the civil service on 24 October to focus on his cancer treatment. Downing Street confirmed [...]