Downing Street to publish draft FTA before second round of trade talks March 9, 2020 Downing Street is planning to publish draft legal texts including a free trade agreement ahead of the second round of trade talks with the EU, government revealed today. Boris Johnson’s sherpa David Frost met with his counterpart Michel Barnier last week for the first round of talks, with both sides agreeing there were significant differences, [...]
Downing Street defends coronavirus strategy after Italy lockdown March 9, 2020 Downing Street said today the coronavirus will spread in a “significant way” across the UK, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a Cobra meeting on the outbreak. A Number 10 spokesman said Britain is still officially trying to contain the virus as part of its four-step coronavirus strategy. But the government said experts now believe [...]
UK must ‘think about trade-offs’ in post-Brexit trade talks, says Commission boss March 9, 2020 The UK must “make up its mind” about which trade-offs it is willing to accept when it comes to striking a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen has warned. The first round of talks, which took place in Brussels, ended last week with negotiators acknowledging there were serious gaps [...]
Brexit trade talks: Michel Barnier cites ‘serious differences’ between EU and UK stances March 5, 2020 The EU’s chief negotiator has warned of “very serious divergence” between Britain and Brussels over the future relationship, following the first round of post-Brexit trade talks. Michel Barnier said he was confident a deal could be struck between the two sides, saying “an agreement is possible, even if it is difficult”. But he warned there [...]
Huawei is uniting Tory backbenchers – but can they win over Saj? March 4, 2020 What Brexit put asunder, Huawei appears to be joining. Yesterday morning, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith led a debate about the Chinese firm’s involvement in the UK’s 5G infrastructure. He was joined by plenty of Conservative MPs you might expect – fellow Leavers David Davis, Bob Seely and Owen Paterson – and plenty of [...]
Exclusive: Downing Street set to parachute Bernard Jenkin into key committee role March 4, 2020 Number 10 is set to appoint veteran backbencher Bernard Jenkin to head up the key Liaison Committee, City A.M. understands, in a controversial departure from parliamentary convention. The Liaison Committee, the only committee with the power to call the Prime Minister to face questions, is made up of the chairs of parliament’s other select committees [...]
Parliament could be shut down to halt coronavirus spread March 4, 2020 Parliament could be shut down in a bid to halt the coronavirus from being transmitted throughout the country, amid fears that MPs and their staff could be inadvertent super-spreaders. Discussions are underway between parliamentary authorities and medical advisers, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said today. “It’s not for me to speak for parliament but I’m [...]
PM backs Priti Patel following fresh allegations March 4, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “sticking by” home secretary Priti Patel, in the wake of fresh allegations of bullying. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions today, Johnson said any claims would “of course” be investigated. But he praised Patel as an “outstanding” home secretary who was “delivering change”. She is currently facing the [...]
Exclusive: Cummings blocks former MP Masterton’s appointment as Scottish adviser to government March 4, 2020 Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings has blocked the appointment of former MP Paul Masterton as a Scotland-based special adviser. Masterton was the MP for East Renfrewshire for two years, but lost his seat in December after it swung back to SNP’s Kirsten Oswald. He was tipped as making a return to the government as [...]
UK coronavirus battle plan: Businesses warned that a fifth of workforce could be absent March 3, 2020 Up to a fifth of the UK’s workforce could be made absent by coronavirus during its peak weeks, the government warned as part of its action plan published today. Downing Street is bracing itself for a reasonable worst-case scenario, warning that it is “more likely than not that the UK will be significantly affected”. Up [...]
