Venezuela is a humanitarian crisis – and the British left just laughs January 25, 2019 “Nice company you’ve got there, @Dyson! Shame if we nationalised it.” So tweeted Owen Jones, Guardian columnist and fierce supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, in response to news that Dyson is relocating from Britain to Singapore. The tweet sparked the predictable outrage from people who believe that a private company should be able to take its [...]
The view from the slopes: This year’s Davos was stuck in aspic January 25, 2019 Leading up to Davos, all the talk was about the notable absentees. As high-profile delegates fell like dominoes, this year’s World Economic Forum looked in danger of becoming a damp squib. But something has been here, and people have been trying hard to pretend it isn’t. It’s the elephant, or even elephants, in the room. [...]
There’s a lesson from Dyson’s Singapore move, but it has nothing to do with Brexit January 25, 2019 There’s no question that Dyson’s move from Wiltshire to Singapore will be a loss to Britain. The company boasts profits in excess of £1bn, employs 4,000 in its Malmesbury offices alone, and is one of the UK’s major business success stories. But that doesn’t justify the political backlash we’ve seen. In true polarising fashion, owner Sir [...]
DEBATE: Should London impose rent restrictions, as suggested in Sadiq Khan’s campaign plans? January 25, 2019 Should London impose rent restrictions, as suggested in Sadiq Khan’s campaign plans? Dan Wilson Craw, director of Generation Rent, says YES. Londoners are paying some of the highest rents in the world. Building more homes will plug the shortage at the root of this, but that will take a decade or more. We need urgent action [...]
‘No deal’ would be a betrayal of Leave voters’ hopes, warns Philip Hammond January 24, 2019 Leaving the EU without a deal would be a betrayal of the people who voted Leave in the hope of a better future, Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned as pressure grew on Theresa May to rule out exiting the bloc without an agreement. Just days before parliament resumes voting on Brexit, ministers, business leaders and trade [...]
EU tensions over taxation, migration and Italy’s budget highlighted at the World Economic Forum in Davos January 24, 2019 Tensions between European Union members were highlighted today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where leaders clashed over migration and taxation. Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said the bloc was divided from north to south and east to west over action on refugees and the commission’s handling of Italy’s 2019 budget, creating a “total [...]
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella calls for facial recognition regulation as Bing gets switched back on in China January 24, 2019 The boss of software giant Microsoft has said facial recognition technology needs to be regulated, as the company weathers another storm in China. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, chief executive Satya Nadella said that self-regulation when it comes to facial recognition may not be enough as the technology grows more popular. [...]
Brexit: Minister dares May to sack him for calling no deal a ‘disaster’ January 24, 2019 A business minister has dared Theresa May to sack him as he publicly agreed with claims a ‘no deal’ Brexit would be a “disaster” for industry. Richard Harrington, minister for industry and energy, said he was “delighted” to read comments from Airbus chief Tom Enders on Thursday laying into the government’s handling of Brexit. Enders claimed [...]
Second referendum plan pulled by MPs as they blame Jeremy Corbyn for a lack of support January 24, 2019 MPs campaigning for another EU referendum have dropped plans to push for a Commons vote on the plan, blaming Jeremy Corbyn’s lack of support. A cross-party group, led by Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, used a press conference outside Parliament to announce a proposed amendment to Theresa May’s Brexit motion had been abandon. The amendment, which [...]
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond charged with attempted rape and sexual assault January 24, 2019 Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has said he is innocent after appearing in front of an Edinburgh court on rape charges. The SNP politician, who was charged with two counts of attempted rape, faces a further nine counts of sexual assault and two of indecent assault. The charges also include one count of breach [...]