Julian Lewis calls Tory party sacking ‘strange’ after Grayling plot July 16, 2020 Sacked Conservative MP Julian Lewis has called his removal from the party “strange” and labelled Downing Street’s attempt to install its own candidate to the chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) as “improper”. Former transport secretary Chris Grayling had been handpicked by Boris Johnson to take the reins of the powerful committee, however [...]
Chris Grayling loses committee chair vote in Tory rebellion July 15, 2020 Former cabinet secretary Chris Grayling has failed to win the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee, despite being handpicked by Boris Johnson for the role, with fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis instead elected. The ex-transport secretary was expected to be voted into the role, however some Conservative MPs on the committee rebelled and instead [...]
DEBATE: With the economy under such strain, should new fintech regulation be paused? July 15, 2020 With the economy under such strain, should new fintech regulation be paused? Elisabeth Kohlbach, co-founder and chief executive at Skwire, says YES. The UK’s fintech scene is one of the most vibrant and well-regulated in Europe. And in extraordinary times, this UK success story needs to be nurtured, not subject to more red tape. The [...]
Europe is no longer America’s sidekick when it comes to China July 13, 2020 With the death of the thrilling composer Ennio Morricone this past week, I have been thinking (and humming) a lot about the Spaghetti Westerns that made his name. For the spaghetti trilogy contains just about every human emotion it is possible to think of. Love, hate, revenge, loyalty, honour, cruelty, and power — they are [...]
An open letter to the PM: Britain must build Sizewell C — nuclear sits at the heart of a green recovery July 12, 2020 An open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, business secretary Alok Sharma, and chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak We are writing as engineers, nuclear experts, scientists and concerned citizens to applaud your commitment to fighting climate change through energy policy, in particular the commitment to proceed with new nuclear construction at the same time [...]
With its own Magnitsky Act, Britain can make it clear that international wrongdoers are not welcome here July 10, 2020 The new government sanctions regime, which has seen restrictions imposed on around 50 individuals accused of orchestrating human rights abuses, is a major step in Britain’s post-Brexit place in the world. Dubbed the “Magnitsky Act”, after the Moscow lawyer murdered after uncovering a massive tax fraud, this approach allows the UK to pursue a new [...]
Wirecard executive ‘touted Russian nerve gas documents’ July 9, 2020 Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek reportedly touted documents about the use of a Russian chemical weapon in the UK and bragged about ties to the intelligence services. Documents, which have been reviewed by the Financial Times and used in meetings in the summer of 2018, include the formula for the world’s deadliest nerve agent, novichok. The [...]
Magnistky Act: Who’s on the Foreign Office’s sanctions list? July 7, 2020 Foreign secretary Dominic Raab yesterday unveiled the first 49 foreign citizens facing sanctions for alleged human rights abuses under the UK’s new Magnitsky Act. The new sanctions include visa bans and asset freezes on individuals from Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar who are suspected of “serious” human rights abuses, including murder, torture, massacre [...]
Magnitsky Act: Dominic Raab unveils first foreign citizens facing visa restrictions July 6, 2020 Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has unveiled the first 49 foreign citizens facing sanctions for alleged human rights abuses under the UK’s new Magnitsky Act. Speaking in the Commons today, the foreign secretary said the UK was taking action against the “thugs of despots and henchmen of dictators” and those trying to launder their “blood-stained ill-gotten [...]
Russia remains dangerous, but don’t confuse it for a superpower July 6, 2020 It is one of those news stories where the incident perfectly fits the larger political risk profile. During the past week, the New York Times reported that a Russian military intelligence unit paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants in 2019 to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. One imagines the reasoning for this was to decisively derail [...]