Britain prepared to leave EU with no Brexit deal, says Andrea Leadsom February 15, 2019 The UK government is prepared to leave the EU without a Brexit deal in place, according to Andrea Leadsom. The government's leader in the House of Commons suggested it was increasingly unlikely that there would be any form of extension to Article 50. Read more: Theresa May to back down on backstop demands in Brexit deal [...]
Stobart battle: Judge finds former boss Andrew Tinkler breached duties as a director February 15, 2019 The judge in the bitter court battle between the Stobart Group and former chief executive Andrew Tinkler ruled today that Tinkler had made four “serious” breaches of his duty as a director. His Honour Judge Russen QC said Tinkler breached his contractual and fiduciary duties in four ways: by agitating for the removal of the [...]
US-China trade talks end, but we still have no official outcome February 15, 2019 High levels trade talks between the US and China ended today with no official statement from either side. Earlier this week it was reported that US President Donald Trump was considering pushing back a 1 March deadline for US tariffs on China to ramp up by 60 days. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are [...]
Theresa May to back down on Brexit backstop demands with EU February 15, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May is reportedly set to compromise on demands for the Brexit deal to be renegotiated, with the UK government backing down on its requests for changes to the controversial Irish border "backstop" agreement. Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay told the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier that the government is not pursuing a reopening to [...]
RBS raises dividend on booming profits, but warns on cost of Brexit February 15, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) boosted its dividend today on the back of doubling profits, but warned that Brexit could hit the bank’s recovery. The bank said it would return £1.6bn to shareholders, including almost £1bn to the government, which holds a 62 per cent stake in RBS following its financial crisis bailout. Chairman Howard [...]
Still feeling entitled? Britain is facing a crisis of intergenerational inequality February 15, 2019 This week, I was audacious enough to suggest that free TV licences for pensioners should not be a public spending priority. The backlash was fierce. “I have paid taxes all my life,” came the outraged cries on social media. This is mostly true, as long as you take “all my life” to mean “until I [...]
It’s time we called out the Home Office for its shameful attitude to refugees February 15, 2019 “There’s no place like home”, Dorothy says, as she taps her red heels together three times and returns to the place she loves. She’s right. Your home is your shelter, It’s your community, your friends, your local shops and landmarks. It’s dedication and love for your area. Building a home takes time and investment; familiarity does [...]
Mark Kleinman: Aviva’s missed deadline ensures brickbats February 15, 2019 Viva Aviva? For such a stalwart of blue-chip boardrooms, Sir Adrian Montague suddenly can’t put a foot right. Four years after taking over the chairmanship of Aviva when John McFarlane scuttled off to Barclays, he’s ended up in a rather large pickle of his own making. Sacking Mark Wilson as the insurer’s chief executive last [...]
Editor’s Notes: The EU simply chooses which rules to enforce and which to ignore February 14, 2019 Allow me a moment away from our own Brexit turmoil and to focus instead on a nasty spot of rot right at the heart of the European Commission. While the Brexit process has made some of the EU’s top brass more recognisable to a British audience, it’s unlikely that many could identify one of its [...]
Theresa May defeated on Brexit again as anti-EU Tories desert her in Commons vote February 14, 2019 Theresa May suffered a Valentine’s Day massacre on Thursday when Conservative Brexiters helped inflict a heavy Commons defeat on the government. The Prime Minister lost the support of the European Research Group of Tories after she tried to force her party to back a plan ruling out a ‘no deal’ Brexit. While the motion was [...]
