Brexit: Theresa May is losing the confidence of colleagues as negotiations stall, says ex-minister October 18, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May is losing Cabinet members’ trust in her ability to reach a Brexit agreement, a former minister claimed today, accusing both the UK and EU of secretly hoping for a no-deal scenario. May and her EU counterparts are running down the clock towards a no-deal Brexit, said Tory MP Nick Boles, who [...]
Facebook shareholders call on Zuckerberg to step down as chairman October 17, 2018 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is facing pressure to resign his post as chairman following a series of scandals. Several US public funds who own shares in the company have called for Zuckerberg to step down from the role after the social media giant “mishandled” a series of controversies. Facebook was at the centre of [...]
There’s nothing to fear from the latest easing back of Dodd-Frank’s reach October 17, 2018 Shortly after his inauguration as President, Donald Trump pledged to do “a big number” on Dodd-Frank regulations, labelling the post-crisis measures “a disaster” and promising to “kill” parts of the legislation. While the rhetoric was typically Trumpian, the reality has proven to be somewhat more modest. Nonetheless, a change in the White House's direction of [...]
Theresa May to hold conference call with 150 business leaders October 17, 2018 Theresa May will hold a conference call with 150 CEOs on Friday to brief them on the state of the Brexit talks. The call is part of a charm offensive of the business community following a fractious period – summed up by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson claiming “f*** business” when it came to the [...]
Stocking up: Elon Musk to buy $20m in Tesla shares as manufacturing boss resigns October 17, 2018 Tesla chief executive Elon Musk will buy $20m (£15.2m) of Tesla stock in the next open trading session, a filing revealed today, after a judge approved the firm's settlement deal with the US securities watchdog. The filing said the share purchase will be "separate and apart from the settlement", which saw both Tesla and Elon Musk be fined [...]
Veteran investor Terry Smith’s new Smithson Investment Trust breaks records with £822m launch October 17, 2018 Veteran investor Terry Smith's new small and mid cap investment trust has raised £822.5m, breaking records for the UK's biggest trust launch. The Smithson Investment Trust initially targeted £250m before more than doubling its goal to £600m with the option to increase to £900m, and has knocked Neil Woodford's Patient Capital Trust off the top spot. It will start trading [...]
Jeremy Corbyn slaps down Emily Thornberry for using Brexit to defend John Bercow October 17, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn today slapped down one of his closest allies for using Brexit to defend under-fire Speaker John Bercow – but stopped short of calling for him to quit. On Monday, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said with Parliament set to play a key role in the Brexit process it was “absolutely not the time” for the Speaker to step [...]
TfL and Westminster council face another clash in court over blocked CS11 cycle superhighway October 17, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster city council could face another clash in court over a decision to block a cycle superhighway project in north-west London. Construction of the cycle superhighway 11 (CS11) came to a grinding halt in August after Westminster council mounted a successful legal challenge against the project, which is intended to link Swiss Cottage [...]
It’s time for Theresa May to use her secret Brexit weapon: business October 17, 2018 Two weeks ago, I was in Birmingham among my fellow Conservatives awaiting Theresa May’s closing conference speech. I expected her to take a strong stance on the Chequers-based plan for Brexit and finally call upon her most valuable and underused supporters – business leaders – to champion her vision, not least because I and my [...]
Chomping at the bit: The race is on to be the next Tory leader October 17, 2018 There will be no deal this week. It was intended, then hoped for, but a Brexit deal is now as far away as it has ever been. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that there will be a late capitulation, the mother-of-all-compromises by Downing Street, presented as a victory for all [...]