Michel Barnier tells UK to abandon free trade plans to get Brexit deal October 10, 2018 Theresa May must abandon her plans for free trade deals with the rest of the world in order to get a Brexit deal, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said yesterday. Speaking in Brussels, Barnier said a full customs union between the UK and the EU would solve the controversial Irish backstop issue as no [...]
Business will pay a ‘heavy price’ for lack of Brexit communication from ministers, warns spending watchdog October 10, 2018 Businesses have paid a "heavy price" for ministers not speaking to them more about the government's Brexit plans, the head of Parliament's spending watchdog has told MPs. Sir Amyas Morse accused ministers of underestimating how well the business community would have coped with planning for different outcomes of the talks with Brussels, leaving many in [...]
DUP will vote down Budget if Theresa May compromises in Brexit talks October 10, 2018 DUP MPs are prepared to vote down this month's Budget if Theresa May breaks any of the party's red lines in the Brexit talks, it has been reported. The Northern Ireland party's 10 MPs keep May in power thanks a to a 'confidence and supply' deal agreed after the 2017 General Election. But as time [...]
The global vaping industry risks being choked in a regulatory cloud October 10, 2018 The World Health Organisation (WHO) is meeting in Geneva this week to shape tobacco and vaping regulation over the next five years. Geneva is a long way from London, and the other side of the world from New Zealand, but vapers worldwide would do well to keep a close eye on these proceedings. Five years is [...]
German industry lobby group warns of hard Brexit risks October 9, 2018 The head of an influential German business lobby group warned today that Europe could slip into a “huge crisis” in the event of a hard Brexit. Managing director of the BDI industry association Joachim Lang told a news conference in Berlin today that a breakthrough in Brexit negotiations was needed at the upcoming European Union [...]
Dominic Raab slams David Davis’ Brexit plan as a ‘shortcut to no deal’ October 9, 2018 Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has dubbed his predecessor's negotiating strategy "a shortcut to no deal" as the Tory war of words over Europe escalated. Raab made the comments after former Brexit secretary David Davis sent a letter to every Tory MP urging them to back a Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU, or face [...]
Conservatives will lose next election unless Theresa May chucks Chequers, David Davis tells MPs October 9, 2018 The Conservatives will lose the next election if Theresa May doesn't change her Brexit policy, ex-cabinet minister David Davis has warned in a stinging letter to Tory MPs. The former Brexit Secretary has written to his colleagues predicting a "dire" result for the Conservatives unless the Prime Minister ditches her so-called Chequers proposal, which would [...]
DUP says ‘no compromise’ on Brexit redlines after meeting with EU’s chief negotiator October 9, 2018 DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to compromise on her Brexit redline today as she shot down the EU's proposal for the Irish backstop. The EU wants Northern Ireland to stay in its customs union and Single Market after Brexit if no other solution can be found to keep the border with Ireland invisible. That suggestion [...]
Italy’s stock market sell-off could force its populist politicians to change course October 9, 2018 The start of this week witnessed yet another spike in Italian bond yields, as the country’s coalition government continued to grapple with the details of its 2019 budget. Political leaders also struggled to deliver a consistent message to investors, who have grown increasingly concerned about the state’s future spending and borrowing plans. The depth of [...]
At least 40 Tory MPs ‘ready to block’ Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan October 9, 2018 Fellow Conservatives are prepared to vote down Theresa May’s Chequers plan if it forms the basis of a deal with the EU, a Tory MP claimed today. At least 40 Tories will rebel against an agreement shaped around the Prime Minister’s Chequers blueprint, if it leaves the UK “half in, half out” of the EU, [...]