UK declares China has broken joint treaty over expulsion of Hong Kong MPs November 12, 2020 The UK has declared that China has once again breached the Sino-British treaty over Beijing’s expulsion of pro-democracy Hong Kong MPs. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the move was a “clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British declaration” and that Beijing had “undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy”. The Chinese parliament adopted a resolution [...]
City of London to be shut out of EU with no equivalence deal from January November 12, 2020 Brussels looks set to lock the City of London out of European markets from 1 January, with the EU not planning on granting regulatory equivalence for the whole bloc before the end of the Brexit transition period.
Government advisory body tells Rishi Sunak to hike capital gains tax November 11, 2020 Rishi Sunak should double capital gains tax rates in order to reel in an extra £14bn, according to the government’s tax advisory body. The Office for Tax Simplification today released its findings on a review ordered by Sunak, telling the chancellor he should increase the rate of capital gains tax and slash exemptions to take [...]
Boris Johnson says controversial PR spending needed to ‘fight anti-vaxxers’ November 11, 2020 Boris Johnson has claimed that money splurged by vaccine taskforce chief Kate Bingham on private PR companies was necessary to combat anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Bingham, who is married to Tory minister Jesse Norman, was plunged into a scandal over the weekend when it was revealed she had spent £670,000 on private PR companies for the [...]
Brexit: UK-EU trade talks unlikely to yield breakthrough by this week’s deadline November 11, 2020 The UK and EU are reportedly not on track to hit this week’s deadline to seal a post-Brexit trade deal. Sources close to the negotiations told Reuters that talks are set to drag into next week, despite both sides’ commitment to “redouble” efforts, as disagreements on fisheries and state aid policy continues to prevent serious [...]
Joe Biden calls Boris Johnson in second diplomatic call as President-elect November 10, 2020 Boris Johnson has scored a diplomatic victory by being the second world leader to speak to President-elect Joe Biden since his victory in the US election. The pair spoke for 20 to 25 minutes from 4pm, after Biden made his first call to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday. Biden reportedly then rang French President [...]
Boris Johnson congratulates vaccine taskforce boss Kate Bingham amidst spending scandal November 10, 2020 Boris Johnson has congratulated outgoing government vaccine taskforce chief Kate Bingham on her efforts just days after being embroiled in a spending scandal. It was revealed by the Sunday Times that Bingham, who is married to Tory minister Jesse Norman, had spent £670,000 of public money on PR advisers from a boutique company since being [...]
House of Lords defeats Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit bill November 10, 2020 The House of Lords has rejected Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit bill that could potentially breach the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and break international law. Peers voted to remove two clauses from the Internal Market Bill, which deal with the status of Northern Ireland after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December. The legislation will now [...]
Exclusive: Ex-Labour mayor defects to Tories over Sadiq Khan’s record on crime November 10, 2020 A former Labour mayor of Islington has defected to the Tories and is campaigning for the party’s mayoral candidate after being disappointed with Sadiq Khan’s handling of violent crime in London. Islington councillor Rakhia Ismail, who was mayor of the London council last year, quit Labour in September alleging she had experienced racism within the [...]
Rishi Sunak announces post-Brexit outline for City of London November 9, 2020 Rishi Sunak has outlined the City of London’s future after Brexit, which will aim to provide stability for EU financial services firms operating in the UK while also trying to open up the sector to more international markets. Sunak said the Treasury today was unliterally publishing “a set of equivalence decisions for EU and EEA [...]
