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 [...]
City giant Martin Gilbert reveals which Tory leadership contender he thinks is ‘amazing’ May 20, 2019 City titan Martin Gilbert has talked up environment secretary Michael Gove as the next Conservative leader, dubbing him “amazing”. Gilbert, who co-founded Aberdeen Asset Management in 1983, was full of praise for the Brexit campaigner in an interview with City A.M. on the fringes of the City Week 2019 conference. “I think he’s amazing, I [...]
Johnson’s critics will be confounded by the new PM’s liberalism July 26, 2019 There’s a good chance that things will go badly for Boris. He barely has a majority, his party is divided and MPs from across the house are priming their parliamentary grenades to thwart and disrupt him. On the other hand, it is at least possible that he gets a Brexit deal passed and triggers what [...]
Home secretary Sajid Javid becomes the latest Tory to join leadership race May 27, 2019 Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said he will throw his hat in the ring to be the next leader of the Conservative party. In a video circulated today on Twitter, Javid said "first and foremost, we must deliver Brexit". He joins eight other Tory MPs who have declared their intention to succeed May, who said she will [...]
Labour launches plan to make ‘no deal’ Brexit illegal June 11, 2019 Labour are set to launch an audacious bid to make it illegal for the UK to leave the EU without a Brexit deal. The party will force a vote in parliament on Wednesday afternoon to make it possible for MPs to introduce legislation on 25 June ruling out a ‘no deal’ Brexit. The plan has [...]
Free schools show how hard it can be to battle the Blob August 13, 2019 It was Michael Gove who popularised the term “the Blob” to describe the establishment forces battling his education reforms. It’s such a perfect description, because it captures the experience of anyone who tries to change the system – a constant, oozing pressure, flowing around your positions until they’re completely swallowed up. Another education minister, George [...]
Boris Johnson clear favourite to replace Theresa May as Tory leader May 18, 2019 Boris Johnson is by far and away the Tory members' preferred choice to replace Theresa May as the leader of the Conservative Party, according to a YouGov poll carried out for The Times this week. The former foreign secretary is the first choice to lead the party for 39 per cent of its members, with his [...]
Level up: Lessons from London for boosting the rest of the UK October 29, 2019 Britain’s economy has been distorted. London takes all the jobs, all the talent, all the investment, leaving crumbs for everyone else. For Britain to prosper, the capital needs to be cut down to size. In the wake of the financial crisis, and then of the Brexit vote, this is an argument that has become increasingly [...]
Goldman Sachs ramp up no deal Brexit chances after Theresa May resigns May 26, 2019 US investment bank Goldman Sachs has ramped up its probability of a no-deal Brexit as leading Conservatives put themselves forward to replace Theresa May as Prime Minister. Goldman Sachs analysts raised the chances of the UK leaving the EU without a deal from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, citing the emergence of hardline [...]
Boris Johnson ‘not aiming’ for no-deal Brexit but warns against further delay June 12, 2019 Boris Johnson said he was not aiming for a no-deal Brexit but that it was responsible to prepare for such an outcome, as he launched his bid to become Prime Minister. The former London mayor made his pitch to Tory MPs and party members this morning as he kicked off his campaign to replace Theresa [...]