EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier rules out time-limited Irish backstop in radio interview January 24, 2019 Michel Barnier has ruled out putting a time limit on the so-called Irish backstop as part of Britain’s revised withdrawal deal from the EU. The bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator said a time-limited backstop would defeat its purpose as a guarantee against a hard border in Ireland. “We have to maintain the credibility of this reassurance,” [...]
Davos: Philip Hammond declares Britain ‘great place to do business’ after Brexit January 24, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond is to make a pitch for the UK’s post-Brexit business credentials in Davos today, as he announces £100m investment for British innovation. Hammond will tell business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum: “Britain is a great place to do business. And we are determined, as we leave the EU, to make [...]
Airbus chief blasts Brexit ‘disgrace,’ issues dire warning on no-deal scenario January 24, 2019 Airbus chief executive Tom Enders has issued yet another stark warning about the effect a no-deal Brexit would have on the aviation giant’s UK business. In a video message, Enders urged Britain’s politicians not to listen to “the Brexiteers’ madness which asserts that, because we have huge plants here, we will not move and we [...]
Suspend parliament if it tries to block no-deal Brexit, says Jacob Rees-Mogg January 23, 2019 Leading Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg has called on Theresa May to suspend parliament if tries to block a no-deal Brexit. Labour MP Yvette Cooper is leading a cross-party move to get it written into law that the UK cannot leave the EU without an agreement. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is meeting with Cooper to discuss whether Labour will [...]
Liam Fox blasts Brexit delay, warning it would be worse than no deal January 23, 2019 Delaying Brexit would be a worse outcome for the UK than no deal at all, international trade secretary Liam Fox warned today. Extending Article 50 beyond the end of March would prove “calamitous” for politicians by breaching the public’s trust, Fox said. Read more: WTO members block UK bid to fast-track post-Brexit entry Meanwhile,cancelling the [...]
‘No deal’ Brexit would lead to hard border with Ireland, confirms EU January 22, 2019 A no deal Brexit would lead to a hard border between the UK and Ireland, the European Commission has confirmed in a departure from previous claims the crossing would remain invisible. Margaritis Schinas, spokesperson for the Commission, issued the warning in a press conference in which he also quoted the Spice Girls as he urged [...]
Davos: Investec banking chief warns stopping Brexit would ‘corrupt democracy’ January 22, 2019 Stopping Brexit would “corrupt democracy”, the chief of banking giant Investec has warned. Hendrik du Toit, joint chief executive of the UK-listed bank, insisted Britain must leave the EU regardless of what people in the financial sector think about the decision. Read more: At Davos, Huawei calls for speedy resolution to case of detained CFO [...]
Three-quarters of trade could collapse in no-deal Brexit, report warns January 22, 2019 Around three quarters of trade between Dover and Calais could grind to a halt if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, a leaked report has warned. A UK Border Force report leaked to Sky News estimates that between 75 per cent and 87 per cent of cross-Channel freight trade could collapse for up to [...]
Theresa May feels the heat as MPs table plans to alter Brexit process January 22, 2019 Former attorney general and Tory rebel Dominic Grieve has tabled his motion to allow MPs time to debate various Brexit options in the run-up to the UK's exit from the EU. Grieve was originally planning to table a motion that would have allowed 300 MPs from the five parties to be debated and voted on by [...]
DEBATE: Is there any point to the annual WEF summit in Davos? January 22, 2019 Is there any point to the annual WEF summit in Davos? Bill Michael, chairman and senior partner of KPMG in the UK, says YES. Elements of the World Economic Forum (WEF) do raise an eyebrow. From the setting in the Swiss Alps to the A-listers in attendance, it can seem like the last bastion of global [...]