Brexit: Germany says UK-EU trade talks will enter ‘hot phase’ in September June 17, 2020 The German government is expecting post-Brexit UK-EU trade talks to enter a “hot phase” in September, despite British negotiators claiming they want a deal wrapped up before autumn. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that talks needed “a bit of oomph” and that a deal in July was the aim for UK negotiators. However, [...]
Brexit: UK ‘ready to be flexible’ to strike a trade deal in July June 16, 2020 The UK is “ready to be flexible” in post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU in an attempt to secure a deal by next month, according to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove. Gove, the defacto Brexit minister, told MPs today that there was enough time to “bring a deal home” before the 31 December deadline, despite [...]
David Cameron hits out at Boris Johnson’s DFID-Foreign Office merger plan June 16, 2020 Former Prime Minister David Cameron has hit out against Boris Johnson’s plans to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign Office, calling the decision a “mistake”. Writing on Twitter, Cameron said: “The Prime Minister is right to maintain the commitment to 0.7 (the percentage of national income spent on global aid) – it [...]
Boris Johnson expected to merge Foreign Office and International Development Department June 16, 2020 Boris Johnson is expected to announce today that the Department for International Development (DFID) will be folded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The Prime Minister is slated to make an announcement today in the House of Commons on “global Britain”, with the BBC now reporting that he will announce the merger of the [...]
Labour calls for emergency ‘back to work’ summer Budget June 16, 2020 Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds is calling for an emergency summer Budget and stimulus package that focuses on job creation. Dodds has dubbed it a “back to work Budget” and has called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to focus on combating potential structural unemployment caused by the coronavirus crisis. New figures from the Office of National [...]
Whatsapp rolls out first wave of in-app digital payments June 15, 2020 Messaging platform Whatsapp today launched its first nationwide rollout of digital payments, starting in Brazil. Users will be able to send payments inside a Whatsapp chat to individuals or businesses in a similar way to attaching a picture or video to a message. The rollout follows an initial testing period in India two years ago, [...]
Bunzl shares rise as demand for cleaning kit spikes amid pandemic June 15, 2020 Bunzl’s share price rose considerably in early trading today as it revealed half-year revenue is set to rise despite the pandemic. The FTSE 100 outsourcer said it expects revenue to the end of June to climb around six per cent despite the impact of coronavirus. That sent shares up six per cent to 1,997p. Hailing [...]
Lloyds prepares to downsize UK office space June 14, 2020 Lloyds Banking Group is exploring options to reduce its property footprint, as more staff transition to home working. The bank’s people and property director Matt Sinnott told staff this week that while no closures were certain, Lloyds will be seeking to consolidate its presence to six strategic hubs across the UK. “In the longer term [...]
UK economy: Five charts that show we face a long road to recovery June 13, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the UK economy into an unprecedented crisis, with GDP shrinking by a record 20.4 per cent April as lockdown measures hammered businesses. The Bank of England has warned that Britain could be heading for its deepest recession in three centuries this year. It is widely believed that April will mark [...]
Executive at League of Legends creator resigns over George Floyd post June 12, 2020 A top executive at the games giant behind the successful online multiplayer League of Legends has stepped down over a Facebook post he wrote about the death of George Floyd. Ron Johnson, who was global head of consumer products at Riot Games, posted a meme which featured the criminal history of Floyd, who was killed [...]