Brexit 1) Don’t use Brexit to break up Britain, May warns Brussels “Theresa May will warn Brussels not to use Brexit to break up the UK in a “robust” fightback against its insistence that Northern Ireland must remain in a customs union. The EU will today publish a new draft withdrawal agreement demanding that Mrs May sign up […]
Brexit 1) Fox rebukes the CBI for clinging to the EU ‘Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, will rebuke Britain’s largest business group today and call for the country to prioritise “trading opportunities of the future” above existing economic ties to the EU. In an attack on the Confederation of British Industry, which yesterday backed […]
Brexit 1) Davis: Corbyn lets down voters and British interests with his snake-oil pledge ‘This Conservative Government understands that the Brexit vote was a call for greater control over the policies which determine people’s lives. Labour seem intent on giving that up. Last week in a speech in Vienna I explained how Britain’s economic future, […]
Brexit 1) May to “pin her future” on breaking up existing EU trade relationship Theresa May plans to call Brexit rebels’ bluff with a back-me-or-sack-me challenge. The PM is ready to pin her future on breaking all of our existing trade ties with the EU. Senior allies want her to make the MPs’ Customs Union […]
Tory rebels to vote for ‘a’ customs union “Theresa May is facing the biggest test of her fragile parliamentary authority as more than ten Tory MPs announced that they would vote to keep Britain in a customs union with Europe. Two of the party’s select committee chairmen and three former ministers put their name to […]
Both sides claim victory over ‘outbreak of unity’ at May’s Brexit meeting “Theresa May’s Brexit war cabinet last night agreed to take back control of Britain’s laws after we leave the EU. After eight hours of talks at the Prime Minister’s country retreat Chequers, senior ministers agreed to pursue a strategy that will allow the […]
Brexit: Government denies rumours of ‘open-ended’ Brexit transition… “Britain will be fully out of the EU by the end of 2020, Government sources said last night. A senior Whitehall source said the so-called ‘transition period’ would almost certainly be over by the end of December 2020, when the current seven-year EU budget expires. The declaration […]
Brexit 1) Davis seeks to reassure the EU that Britain will not engage in a ‘race to the bottom’ ‘A European Commission briefing paper claims the UK could dilute health and safety laws in an attempt to “lower production costs”, which would result in “higher exposure to chemicals and carcinogens”. David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, […]
May to set out plans for post-18 education review in speech today “Theresa May will on Monday attack Britain’s “outdated attitude” to university education as she says too many people take degrees and are charged too much money for their courses. The Prime Minister will suggest that snobbery towards vocational training has created a belief […]
Everything is on the table in Hinds’s review of tuition fees ‘Tomorrow the prime minister and Hinds will unveil a panel to conduct the government’s review of university funding. He is clear this will lead to a cut in fees for cheap arts courses that offer little economic benefit to the students or the country. […]
Corbyn “knew” he was supplying information to a Czech spy during the Cold War “The Czechoslovak secret agent who met Jeremy Corbyn during the Eighties claimed last night that the Labour leader knew he was a spy and said the MP had supplied information to the Communist regime. Speaking for the first time since it […]
Barnier abandons Brexit ‘punishment clause’ after backlash “Brussels has cancelled a controversial plan to punish Britain during the Brexit transition if it breaks EU rules following a furious backlash. EU negotiator Michel Barnier included the clause in a draft transition agreement last week, setting out powers to penalise the UK during the two years after Brexit begins next March. Brexit […]
Foster calls for direct rule as Ulster devolution talks collapse again “DUP leader Arlene Foster today ended talks on restoring devolution in Northern Ireland, accusing Sinn Fein of trying to hold her to ransom. Mrs Foster called on the Westminster government to intervene to set a budget and start making policy decisions held over during the 13-month stalemate. The […]
Foster says May’s Belfast visit is ‘distraction’ from devolution talks “DUP leader Arlene Foster today blasted Theresa May’s visit to Belfast as a ‘distraction’ from talks to restore powersharing. The Prime Minister raised hopes of a breakthrough in the 13-month stalemate by announcing the surprise visit, which also include Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. But as talks broke up last […]
Mordaunt calls in Oxfam, as the charity’s deputy chief executive resigns ‘Oxfam’s deputy chief executive resigned on Monday, admitting the charity knew a senior aid worker had been accused of using prostitutes in Africa but still deployed him to Haiti. Penny Lawrence said that allegations were made about Roland van Hauwermeiren and members of his […]