Theresa May: The Queen will sign Article 50 into law “in the coming days” March 14, 2017 Theresa May has hinted she is in no rush to begin the process of leaving the European Union, saying the Article 50 Bill, which was passed last night, will receive royal assent "in the coming days". In a speech to the House of Commons in which she signalled a steady approach to negotiating the UK's [...]
Scotland will quit the EU regardless of referendum, cabinet minister warns March 14, 2017 Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon's plan to hold an independence referendum will not stop Scotland leaving the European Union, a cabinet minister has warned. Sturgeon revealed yesterday that she would seek a vote between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019, likely before the UK formally exits the EU. However, Scotland secretary David Mundell has today said that any vote would [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan says hard Brexit won’t benefit Europe as banks would move to New York, Hong Kong and Singapore March 14, 2017 Sadiq Khan has warned his European counterparts that a hard Brexit wouldn't be beneficial to them, as banks would move to New York and Hong Kong, rather than Paris and Frankfurt. "The point I make to my colleagues across Europe is don't assume so-called 'hard Brexit' benefits you," he said, giving evidence to parliament's Brexit select committee on the UK's negotiating [...]
Time to dust down the case against the Scottish National Party March 14, 2017 The pursuit of independence is all that matters to the Scottish Nationalists. It is the glue that holds together everything they say and do. Having lost the referendum on independence they wasted no time in predicting the circumstances in which another one could follow. On the day after the EU vote, Sturgeon said that a second [...]
The chancellor’s shambolic national insurance hike is based on a faulty reading of aggregate statistics March 14, 2017 "Britain is damning itself to be a low wage, low productivity economy”. How many headlines like that have we read over the past few years? Certainly, the UK has performed poorly when it comes to overall real wage growth since the financial crisis, reflective of weak aggregate productivity growth. But often these average statistics are [...]
Don’t overplay the similarities between Brexit voters and Geert Wilders’ Dutch populists March 14, 2017 In 2016, both Brexit and Trump took the markets by surprise. Will the so-called “rise of populism” continue into 2017? Its first significant electoral test is the Dutch general election tomorrow, with all eyes on Geert Wilders. A “win” for his populist Freedom Party is securing the most votes and occupying the most seats in the [...]
Would an independent Scotland stand a chance of getting European Union membership? March 14, 2017 Dr Alistair Clark, senior lecturer in politics at Newcastle University, says Yes. Nicola Sturgeon has announced the second Scottish independence referendum will be between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019. The timing is such that Scotland will likely end up outside the EU when the UK leaves. It is very difficult to see Scotland remaining in [...]
Here’s what MPs had to say after the House of Lords gave the green light on Brexit March 14, 2017 After the House of Lords joined MPs in passing legislation to give Prime Minister Theresa May the power to trigger Article 50, Conservative MPs said it’s time to get on with Brexit. Brexit secretary David Davis said the UK is on the threshold of “the most important negotiation for our country in a generation.” “So [...]
Peers and MPs have scrapped both amendments to Theresa May’s Brexit Bill March 13, 2017 The House of Lords has voted against reinstating their amendment to the Brexit bill, nearly clearing the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 by the end of the month. Peers voted down the Lib Dem amendment by a majority of 156. Now, the bill needs the Queen to give Royal assent, [...]
Businesses must put more cash into commercialising top tech R&D from universities, say MPs March 13, 2017 Businesses have been told to increase their investment in the world-class research and development which goes on in UK universities by MPs, to bring innovations to market and bring it in line with other countries. Members of the science and technology committee have called for a greater focus on the demands of business rather than the supply of [...]