Chris Grayling ducks questions from MPs over controversial East Midlands franchise award May 7, 2019 Embattled transport secretary Chris Grayling did not show up today for questions from MPs about his controversial decision to bar Stagecoach from three rail franchises, sending a junior minister instead. Grayling had been asked by Labour's shadow rail minister Rachael Maskell to answer concerns that he misled parliament over the decision, which disqualified Stagecoach from [...]
European elections will definitely go ahead, government confirms May 7, 2019 European parliament elections in the UK will definitely go ahead the government has confirmed as it announced there is not enough time to deliver Brexit before May 23. David Lidington, the de facto Deputy Prime Minster, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, less than an hour before talks between the government and Labour over breaking the [...]
European stocks continue downward slide as US-China trade tensions flare May 7, 2019 The FTSE 100 hit a one-month low today as European stocks continued to be dragged down by the ramping up of trade tensions between the US and China. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise In the first trading done since the bank holiday weekend, the UK benchmark fell [...]
Theresa May to meet Tory committee chair amid calls to name departure date May 7, 2019 Theresa May is due to meet the chair of the Tories influential backbench committee today as she comes under renewed pressure to name her departure date. The Prime Minister will meet Sir Graham Brady to discuss her future after a number of local Tory associations confirmed they will hold a vote of no confidence in [...]
This series of UK politics feels suspiciously like daytime TV May 7, 2019 Last week’s local elections were a democratic amuse bouche. A mere mouthful of popular sentiment, sending a message to the political elite that an offering meant to delight the taste buds has fallen as flat as a soggy souffle. Like a daytime TV rerun of MasterChef, it involved lots of familiar names and tried but [...]
DEBATE: Could Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook omnipotence be coming to an end? May 7, 2019 Could Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook omnipotence be coming to an end? Greg Consiglio, chief operating officer at Connectt, says YES. Facebook was originally set up to connect friends who share interests, primarily through a news feed that users controlled. Now, algorithms dictate the user experience, and with feeds more crammed than ever, what once was fun and informative [...]
Asian markets bounce back amid US trade threats to China May 7, 2019 Asian stocks bounced back in morning trading, a day after an escalation in the trade war between the US and China sparked a sharp sell-off. Read more: Car maker shares fall on Trump's Chinese tariff hike threats China’s CSI 300 index ticked up just over one per cent in early trading, after dropping almost six [...]
Fix Brexit, unlock investment – and maybe we can all work a little less May 7, 2019 Did you enjoy your day off yesterday? Nice, wasn’t it, coming so soon after the extended Easter break? Plus there’s another bank holiday in just three weeks from now. Happy days. Square Mile workaholics aside, most of us would prefer to have a little more leisure and a little less time in the office – and [...]
Small businesses to be given artificial intelligence boost May 7, 2019 London may be the artificial intelligence (AI) capital of Europe, but City Hall believes the benefits of AI are failing to trickle down to small businesses. The mayor Sadiq Khan will give 200 small businesses in London a share of £200,000 to enhance their use of AI. “London is a leading hub for innovation in [...]
Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise May 7, 2019 US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to ramp up tariffs on Chinese goods rattled global markets yesterday at the start of a crunch week of negotiations between the White House and Beijing. Trump tweeted over the weekend that tariffs on $200bn (£153bn) worth of goods from China would be cranked up to 25 per cent [...]