Theresa May accused of ‘Brexit bribe’ over launch of £1.6bn fund for Leave-voting areas March 4, 2019 Theresa May has been accused of "bribing MPs" with a £1.6bn government fund for pro-Brexit towns in England in a bid to secure their backing for her deal when it is voted on later this month. £1bn of the pot will go towards less well-off towns in England while £600m will be available for communities [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Parliament gets Brexit votes: Pound hits $1.33, FTSE 100 comes off 7,200 March 1, 2019 | City Talk Just as it seemed Theresa May was on track to appease the hard-line Brexiters in her party, it’s now the Remainers causing problems. Last week three MPs, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen, quit to join the new Independent Party formed by eight breakaway Labour MPs a few days before. More Conservatives have threatened [...]
Editor’s Notes: Let’s hear it from the New Democrats and Reagan Republicans March 1, 2019 Back in 2015, I was convinced the UK was heading for another hung parliament. The following year I expected a comfortable Remain victory in the EU referendum. A few months later, turning to the US, I was certain that Hillary Clinton would trounce Donald Trump at the ballot box. Then, just to compound things, I [...]
Minister quits government warning Brexit delay will lead to ‘final humiliation’ of UK February 28, 2019 Agriculture minister George Eustice has quit the government, warning a delay in Brexit could lead to the “final humiliation of our country”. Eustice, who campaigned for Leave in the 2016 referendum, told Theresa May he had stuck by her through “a series of undignified retreats” during the course of the negotiations, but the possibility of [...]
MPs criticise government for ‘lack of transparency’ over £61m Nissan ‘sweetheart’ deal February 27, 2019 An influential group of MPs has today criticised the government for not telling parliament about the £61m offer it made to Nissan in a bid to persuade the car-maker to stay in the UK. Reports that the government was offering “financial assistance” to Nissan emerged in 2016 but were dismissed by Theresa May’s deputy spokesperson [...]