Who could be against a war on plastic? Lots of people, actually September 20, 2018 The Conservative party conference is just around the corner, and with the news so often dominated by Brexit, it’s a good moment to consider some of the more domestic policy ideas we’re sure to hear about. On plastic, for example. Earlier this year, Theresa May used a big speech on environmental issues to launch a [...]
Davis set to savage Chequers as May awaits EU verdict on key proposals September 20, 2018 Theresa May last night urged EU leaders to stop trying to break up the UK as she warned there were just two months left to strike a Brexit deal. Speaking directly to her counterparts at a dinner in Salzburg last night, the Prime Minister made it clear that if an agreement were not reached by [...]
Theresa May rejects Michel Barnier’s Irish border plan September 19, 2018 Theresa May is set to shoot down Brussels' attempt to diffuse the Northern Ireland border row amid claims the EU's plan would still divide the UK. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has been seeking to "de-dramatise" the issue of how to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland if no trade deal [...]
David Davis: Theresa May’s Brexit plan is undemocratic September 19, 2018 David Davis is set to brand the government's Brexit plan as "devoid of democracy" in another stinging attack on Theresa May. The former Brexit secretary will use a speech in Germany tomorrow to lambast the so-called Chequers plan as a "non-starter" – claiming it goes back on promises the Conservatives made in their 2017 General Election [...]
David Davis: Brexit negotiations to be ‘reset’ in November September 19, 2018 Brexit negotiations could be “reset” in November as the UK and EU struggle to strike a deal they both find acceptable, according to former Brexit secretary David Davis. The EU’s stance towards the UK will soften in the coming months as both sides try to bridge the gap in negotiations to avoid a no deal scenario, [...]
Ditch talk of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit to spare motor industry £5bn tariffs, pleads trade body September 19, 2018 The car industry body has urged Theresa May to ditch talk of a "no-deal" Brexit, saying it would lead to £5bn tariffs for a sector that is already in trouble. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said a no-deal Brexit – in which the UK would crash out of the EU on terms set [...]
Ignore Michael Gove – there’ll be no chance to edit Chequers once the ink is dry September 19, 2018 Theresa May’s ambush of her own cabinet in July by presenting the fait accompli of the proposed Chequers deal, which the EU remains unconvinced about and which will be the subject of discussion among EU leaders in Salzburg tomorrow, was for me the low point of the Brexit negotiations. That was until last Sunday, when [...]
EU working to improve Irish border backstop proposal, Barnier says September 18, 2018 The European Union has softened its approach to the Irish border backstop "insurance policy" arrangement, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said this evening, in a push to effectively complete the Brexit deal within the next month. Speaking in Brussels ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Salzburg tomorrow and Thursday, Barnier confirmed that work was ongoing to improve the offer to Britain and said [...]
Time for the government to set out the details of its post-Brexit immigration policy September 18, 2018 Inch by inch, the government is creeping closer to a new immigration policy. With the publication yesterday of the Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) report, there are no reasons left not to set out a vision for this complicated and contentious area of policy. The expectation is that Theresa May will use her speech to [...]
Labour has faced crises before, but this is uncharted territory September 18, 2018 After a summer of turbulence, the Labour party conference will get underway in Liverpool next week. The stories swirling around the run-up centre on the current maelstrom of fanatical support for Jeremy Corbyn, the increasing despondence of moderate MPs, accusations of antisemitism at the heart of the party, all against a backdrop of online discussion [...]