British support for the House of Saud cannot be unconditional October 15, 2018 When Theresa May welcomed Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Downing Street earlier this year, an official statement declared that the two countries would work together to promote “universal human rights.” At the time, this form of words jarred with the reality of life in the oil rich kingdom. Today, in the aftermath [...]
Downing Street: Theresa May will rule out a customs union if no Brexit deal is reached October 12, 2018 Downing Street said today that Theresa May would never agree to a permanent customs union with the EU, as the Prime Minister attempts to set cabinet ministers at ease over the Brexit negotiations. “The Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently,” a spokeswoman told the [...]
Trump’s state visit to the UK cost police £18m, four times as much as the royal wedding’s security October 11, 2018 US president Donald Trump's visit to the UK in July cost police almost £18m, four times the cost of the security of the royal wedding, it was revealed today. Nearly 10,000 officers across the country worked more than 26,000 shifts during the four-day trip that ignited protests in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Read more: Trump has a [...]
Blockchain, Brexit, and the Irish border – how technology can help to solve this delicate problem October 11, 2018 With less than six months to go until Brexit, one of the biggest sticking points in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union remains undoubtedly the issue of the Irish border. If the UK does decide to leave the EU’s single market and customs union, it will become necessary to control and monitor goods [...]
Theresa May’s crude policy is the wrong way to manage immigration October 11, 2018 The government's announcement of a new immigration policy post-Brexit has at least the merit of providing a clearer sense of direction – assuming Brexit happens and does so in a reasonably orderly way (which are some big “ifs”). The news also provides an opportunity to think, from first principles, what a sensible immigration policy should [...]
Surveyors forecast fall in house prices as house buyers decline October 11, 2018 A renewed decline in the number of house buyers is piling further pressure on London’s strained property market, according to a closely followed survey out today. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has said there was “caution” from buyers last month, as Bank of England governor Mark Carney reportedly warned prices could drop 35 [...]
Theresa May launches consultation into forcing firms to report ethnicity pay figures October 11, 2018 KPMG, WPP and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are among a number of businesses to have signed up to a new charter by Theresa May that aims to improve the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees. Alongside the charter the Prime Minister has also launched a consultation into mandatory ethnicity pay reporting, following last [...]
Michel Barnier tells UK to abandon free trade plans to get Brexit deal October 10, 2018 Theresa May must abandon her plans for free trade deals with the rest of the world in order to get a Brexit deal, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said yesterday. Speaking in Brussels, Barnier said a full customs union between the UK and the EU would solve the controversial Irish backstop issue as no [...]
DUP will vote down Budget if Theresa May compromises in Brexit talks October 10, 2018 DUP MPs are prepared to vote down this month's Budget if Theresa May breaks any of the party's red lines in the Brexit talks, it has been reported. The Northern Ireland party's 10 MPs keep May in power thanks a to a 'confidence and supply' deal agreed after the 2017 General Election. But as time [...]
Conservatives will lose next election unless Theresa May chucks Chequers, David Davis tells MPs October 9, 2018 The Conservatives will lose the next election if Theresa May doesn't change her Brexit policy, ex-cabinet minister David Davis has warned in a stinging letter to Tory MPs. The former Brexit Secretary has written to his colleagues predicting a "dire" result for the Conservatives unless the Prime Minister ditches her so-called Chequers proposal, which would [...]