Boris Johnson under pressure to cancel school reopenings December 29, 2020 Boris Johnson is under pressure from senior cabinet ministers to delay next week’s planned school reopenings as the UK recorded more than 40,000 new Covid cases yesterday – a new record. Health secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are pushing Johnson to cancel the planned reopening of schools next week for students [...]
Westminster year in review: Who is up and who is down in 2020? December 21, 2020 As the UK ushered in 2020 it looked as if Boris Johnson had an unshakeable grasp on Westminster and the Conservative party. Johnson’s election landslide win last December and his victory in dragging the UK out of the EU in January made him look infallible. Before the Open newsletter: Start your day with the City [...]
Boris Johnson did not want to settle Sonia Khan unfair dismissal case out of court December 15, 2020 Boris Johnson issued an order to not settle a high-profile unfair dismissal claim out of court, despite the advice of one of the country’s top civil servants. Sonia Khan, who was dismissed by Dominic Cummings last year for alleged leaking, was last month paid out in the region of £100,000 by the government in an [...]
Brexit: UK signs continuity trade deal with Mexico December 15, 2020 The UK has signed a continuity trade deal with Mexico, which will ensure trade between the two countries will not be disrupted after the Brexit transition period ends next year. The deal will see the two countries continue to trade on the same terms as under the EU-Mexico trade deal, however both sides have now [...]
Parlez-vous Français? Paris’ finance sector gets ready to seize post-Brexit opportunities December 15, 2020 Paris’ claims to be Europe’s culture and culinary capital are well known, however its finance credentials are somewhat less established. The City of Light ranked behind London, Zurich, Luxembourg, Geneva, Frankfurt and even Edinburgh in the World Bank’s Global Financial Centres Index for 2020. However, with Brexit around the corner, and no full EU equivalence [...]
Michel Barnier warns MEPS of short no-deal Brexit period even if deal closed this year December 14, 2020 Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has warned MEPs today that there could still be a short period where the UK and EU have to operate on no-deal terms even if a trade deal is struck before 31 December. Barnier reportedly told an emergency meeting with MEPs this morning that there may not be enough [...]
Liz Truss officially signs UK-Switzerland services deal December 14, 2020 International trade secretary Liz Truss has today signed a rollover services agreement with the Swiss government that will ensure UK companies and professionals can work in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year. The deal, closed two weeks ago, will benefit industries such as financial services, legal services, consultancy, the tech sector and the creative [...]
Supermarkets begin stockpiling food in case of no-deal Brexit December 13, 2020 The UK’s largest supermarkets have begun stockpiling food and other products, after being warned about the potential of a no-deal Brexit by the government. Supermarkets and ministers are reportedly worried about the prospect of consumers panic buying before 1 January if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, while food producers are warning of [...]
Brexit: UK draws up bailout package for farmers and fishermen in case of no-deal exit December 13, 2020 The government is mapping out a multi-billion pound bailout package for British farmers and industry in case of a no-deal Brexit next month. The plans reportedly include emergency assistance for sheep farmers, fishermen, car manufacturers and chemical suppliers who would be hit by disruption and/or increased EU tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The [...]
Brexit trade talks to continue in Brussels as EU and UK vow to ‘go extra mile’ December 13, 2020 Post-Brexit trade talks will continue in Brussels next week after both sides vowed to “go the extra mile” to close a last minute deal, however Boris Johnson has also said the two sides are “very far apart” and that no-deal is now the most likely option. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she [...]
