Tony Blair and Sir John Major urge government to drop plans to breach Brexit deal September 13, 2020 Former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Sir John Major have warned that the government will ruin the UK’s international reputation if it goes ahead with its plan to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement and break international law. The former adversaries said Boris Johnson’s plan “is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation”, and that his actions [...]
No-deal Brexit would hurt UK more than EU, says German finance minister September 12, 2020 A no-deal Brexit would do more damage to the UK economy than the European Union’s, according to the German finance minister. Speaking on Saturday following a meeting of 27 EU finance ministers in Berlin, Olaf Scholz said there would be “significant consequences” for Britain. “My assessment is that an unregulated situation would have very significant [...]
Brexit: Prime Minister urges Tory MPs to back him over bill September 12, 2020 Boris Johnson pleaded for Conservative MPs to support his plans to override part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in a Zoom call late on Friday. The Prime Minister told around 250 Tory MPs on the video call that the party must not return to “miserable squabbling” over Europe. He is hoping to pass an Internal [...]
Brexit: UK calls for more ‘realism’ as EU ramps up no-deal planning September 11, 2020 The UK has refused to renege on its plans to break international law over the Brexit withdrawal agreement as the EU steps up preparations for a no-deal exit. The government has come under pressure to drop its internal market bill, which it has admitted would breach international law. A number of Tory grandees have condemned [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks tentatively climb after rough week September 11, 2020 The FTSE 100 headed towards the end of the week slightly higher and US stocks recovered some ground after another sell-off yesterday. London’s blue-chip index was up 0.2 per cent at 6,015 points in afternoon trading as official data showed the UK economy grew seven per cent in July. The FTSE 250 of mid-cap firms [...]
Brexit: Lords ready to block Johnson’s plan to override withdrawal deal September 11, 2020 The House of Lords may block Boris Johnson’s efforts to pass controversial legislation seeking to override the Brexit withdrawal agreement, peers have warned. Former Conservative Party leader, Lord Howard of Lympne, said he would be “very surprised” if the UK Internal Market Bill was passed through the House of Lords. The pro-Brexiteer has become the [...]
UK strikes free trade agreement with Japan September 11, 2020 The UK has secured a free trade agreement with Japan that is set to increase trade with the country by an estimated £15.2bn. The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement , which is the first trade deal to be signed since Britain left the EU earlier this year, was agreed in principle this morning. In a [...]
The World Trade Organisation must halt its march into irrelevance September 11, 2020 Even the World Trade Organization’s strongest advocates cannot deny that it is an organisation with serious problems. It is a body that has deep technical skills and a relatively simple purpose, to ensure international trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. A steady rise in protectionism, diminishing respect for its rules and an [...]
Brexit: EU intensifying no-deal preparations after latest negotiating round September 10, 2020 Brussels is “intensifying” its preparations for a no-deal Brexit as the two sides still harbour “significant differences”, according to EU negotiator Michel Barnier. The UK and EU wrapped up the eighth round of trade negotiations today, with the two sides still deadlocked over several key issues. It comes on the same day that the EU [...]
Tory grandee calls on justice secretary to quit amid division over Brexit bill September 10, 2020 Sir Roger Gale has called for justice secretary Robert Buckland to resign over the internal market bill, escalating Tory division over whether the government is breaking international law. The Tory grandee said he “would expect the justice secretary under these terms to fall on his sword”. It comes as the Brexit bill is due to [...]