China: How George Osborne’s ‘golden era’ lost its shine February 17, 2019 When former chancellor George Osborne visited China in 2015, he pronounced it the start of a “golden era” of Sino-British relations. Britain threw itself into tens-of-billions of pounds worth of trade deals, Osborne turned a blind eye to a litany of Chinese human rights abuses and President Xi Jinping even joined David Cameron for a pint [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s planned visit to China next week is called off February 16, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond's trip to China has been called off after reports that a speech the UK defence secretary made has angered the Chinese government. Hammond was set to hold trade talks with senior officials in Beijing during a brief visit next week, but a spokesperson for the Treasury has said: ""No trip was ever announced [...]
Investment banks in London may need ‘chaperones’ for EU clients in event of no-deal Brexit February 16, 2019 Banks such as Credit Suisse and Nomura have said they would have to loop in EU colleagues when talking to customers in Europe about specific advisory work and regulated products like loans or bonds. In the event of a no deal Brexit, even the cold-calling of company executives to pitch for new business out of [...]
Parliament Square brought to standstill in climate change protest February 15, 2019 Nearly 50 school strikes took place across the country today as a coalition of youth climate change organisations led walkouts, leaving London's Parliament Square in gridlock. Thousands of young people gathered in Parliament Square between 11am and 2pm, holding signs and chanting messages that called attention to climate change and the environment. The protest brought traffic to a [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Trade minister Liam Fox urges MPs to back Prime Minister in Brexit vote February 14, 2019 Trade secretary Liam Fox has urged his Tory colleagues to fall in line ahead of a showdown between Prime Minister Theresa May and her party’s hardline Brexiters in a vote this afternoon. The motion asks parliament to reiterate its support for a previous Brexit vote, when MPs passed an amendment allowing May to return to [...]
Elementary, my dear: Predicting Brexit in the style of Sherlock Holmes February 14, 2019 Sherlock Holmes said that when you’ve eliminated the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. So how can we apply this principle to Brexit between now and the deadline of 29 March? Here are the six things that we know for sure. One, there is no majority in the House of Commons [...]
Brexit requires Westminster to demonstrate clarity, compromise and collaboration February 14, 2019 Fewer than 50 days separate us from 29 March, the date that Britain is formally due to leave the European Union. It has been 22 months since Article 50 was triggered, and Brexit strategising and negotiations with Brussels have taken the nation on a journey that few could have predicted. Politically, Britain is currently locked [...]
