Boris Johnson launches bid for Christmas election October 24, 2019 The Prime Minister’s pledge to take the UK out of the EU before Halloween “come what may” was left in tatters last night, after MPs blocked a key vote to fast-track his Brexit legislation. MPs voted in support of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB), notably 52-48 per cent in favour, but refused to back the [...]
Brexit latest: McDonnell slams Javid over ‘dereliction of his duties’ October 24, 2019 The chancellor and shadow chancellor locked horns today, with Labour’s John McDonnell accusing his opposite number of a “dereliction of his duties”. McDonnell pointed to the government’s “working majority of minus-45″, saying it was ” obvious that this Queen’s Speech is little more than a pretty crude election stunt”. He also slammed the Tories for [...]
Brexit latest: Brussels figures edge towards backing 31 January extension October 23, 2019 Two key Brussels figures have indicated they would back a full extension to the Brexit process, until 31 January. The move comes as Labour confirms that a three month delay would be long enough for the party to back an General Election. Leo Varadkar, Irish Taoiseach, spoke with Donald Tusk this morning, where he backed [...]
Boris Johnson ‘pauses’ Brexit bill after key defeat October 22, 2019 The Prime Minister’s pledge to take the UK out of the EU before Halloween “come what may” has been left in tatters, after MPs blocked a key vote to fast-track his Brexit legislation. MPs voted in support of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB), notably 52-48 per cent in favour, but refused to back the timetable [...]
Extinction Rebellion protests cost Met Police £37m October 22, 2019 Protests carried out by Extinction Rebellion activists have cost the Metropolitan Police at least £37m and caused other investigations to be halted. Commissioner Cressida Dick today said that the recent two-week demonstrations had cost £21m, with this figure expected to rise by a further several million. Read more: Extinction Rebellion patron buys stake in Heathrow [...]
Brexit latest: Oliver Letwin urges MPs to back programme motion October 22, 2019 Oliver Letwin has urged MPs to back the government on tonight’s programme motion as “the least of the evils”, after the Prime Minister threatened to pull the entire Brexit bill if he was defeated. Introducing the Brexit bill, formally called the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, Boris Johnson this afternoon told MPs he would abandon the bill [...]
Timetable vote threatens to derail PM’s Halloween Brexit pledge October 21, 2019 A normally run-of-the-mill vote on parliamentary business today threatens to derail Boris Johnson’s last chance to get Brexit done by 31 October. A programme motion, setting out the timetable for debating the crucial Withdrawal Agreement bill (WAB), could be rejected by the alliance of opposition MPs and Tory Remainers who argue that it does not [...]
Supermarket chain Iceland takes a hit as insurers freeze out suppliers October 20, 2019 Suppliers to supermarket chain Iceland are said to have had their insurance cover cut amid concerns about the impact of Brexit on the company’s supply chain. Paris-based insurer Euler Hermes reduced the credit cover it provides to Iceland’s suppliers over the summer, while rival Atradius is also mulling a possible cut, the Sunday Times reported. [...]
WH Smith ramps up overseas drive with $400m US deal October 17, 2019 WH Smith has revealed plans to snap up a US travel company for more than £300m as the retail giant looks to broaden its scope beyond the UK high street. In a deal that will double the size of the firm’s international business, WH Smith is buying Marshall Retail Group for $400m (£312m) to ramp [...]
Netflix shares rise as it beats profit expectations ahead of streaming wars October 16, 2019 Shares in Netflix rose as much as much as nine per cent in after-hours trading as the streaming giant’s third-quarter profit beat analysts’ forecasts. Netflix today reported net profit of $665m (£518.5m) in the three months to the end of September, up almost 40 per cent on the same period last year. Earnings per share [...]