UK export growth contracts for first time since 2015 as European economies face turmoil December 17, 2018 UK export growth has dropped to its lowest level since 2015 as political uncertainty and falling demand take their toll on European economies. The growth of UK exports fell by 0.7 points to 94.9 in the fourth quarter 2018, according to figures from BDO’s latest European Export Index. The UK is not the only European [...]
Will Tony Blair help or hinder the campaign for a second referendum? December 16, 2018 Of the four living former Prime Ministers, three are united in vocal and (to a varying degree) active opposition to current government policy. John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have taken very different approaches to life after Downing Street but what unites them now is support for a second referendum. Major has called for [...]
Downing Street denies reports of preparing no-deal Brexit holiday warnings December 16, 2018 Downing Street has denied reports that the government is to suggest families do not book holidays after 29 March amid preparations for a no-deal Brexit. The Sunday Times reported that the government was supposed to discuss the contingency plans at last week's cancelled cabinet meeting after May received a vote of no confidence in her [...]
Theresa May attacks Tony Blair for ‘subverting’ Brexit process with call for a second vote December 16, 2018 Theresa May has launched a stinging attack on former Prime Minister Tony Blair, branding his efforts to bring about a second referendum an “insult to the office he once held”. The Prime Minister, who has endured a string of recent setbacks including defeats in parliament, a leadership challenge and a difficult trip to Brussels, accused her [...]
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt believes a version of Theresa May’s deal can get through parliament December 15, 2018 Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt believes that parliament could still back Theresa May's deal if the European Union provide assurances on it, but warned a no deal was still on the table. May pulled out of a vote on her Brexit deal at the start of the week, fearing a heavy defeat amid concerns over the [...]
Theresa May says ‘crystal clear’ EU must provide Brexit assurances after confronting Juncker December 14, 2018 Theresa May said this afternoon that she had a “robust” conversation with EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker over claims he called her “nebulous”, as she defended her Brexit deal despite a renegotiation looking unlikely. Speaking to media during a Brexit summit in Brussels, May addressed a video catching her and Juncker in the middle of a [...]
DUP leader Arlene Foster asks Theresa May if she will ‘roll over’ for EU on Brexit deal’s Irish backstop clause December 14, 2018 DUP leader Arlene Foster has asked Theresa May whether she will “roll over” for the EU over Brexit, piling further pressure onto the Prime Minister as she seeks changes to her withdrawal agreement in Brussels. Foster said today: “The Prime Minister has promised to get legally binding changes. The reaction by the EU is unsurprising. [...]
So what does the DUP really, really want? A no-deal Brexit December 14, 2018 “So tell me what you want, what you really, really want,” sang the Spice Girls in their debut single in June 1996, the same month that multi-party talks were established to kickstart the Irish peace process. Now, 22 years later, it is a question that could well be asked of the DUP. This week, all [...]
DEBATE: After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? December 14, 2018 After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? Mo Lovatt, lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries and co-chair of The Great Debate, says YES. The Prime Minister has survived a leadership challenge and some argue that nothing has changed. In Brexit terms, this is true: she remains stubbornly positioned between a [...]
Hard Brexit will be a disaster for British businesses, says Sir Richard Branson December 14, 2018 Sir Richard Branson has claimed that a hard Brexit would be a disaster for the UK and called on Prime Minister Theresa May to be honest about the consequences it could have. The Virgin Group founder has warned that leaving the EU without a deal would result in the closure of British businesses and that the [...]