Politics

British companies look set to cut their investment by the most in 10 years in 2019 as the Brexit crisis drags on, weighing on future economic growth prospects, a survey showed on Monday. Business investment - key for productivity and pay growth - was forecast to fall by 1.3% this year before growing by only 0.4% in 2020, the British Chambers of Commerce said. The BCC nudged up its overall economic growth forecast for 2019 to 1.3%, reflecting a surge...

Rory Stewart has overtaken Jeremy Hunt into second favourite for leadership after a widely praised performance on last night’s Channel 4 debate. Bookies price Stewart at 12/1 with Hunt now languishing in third place at 21/1. Michael Gove is seemingly out of the running to make the top two with odds of 45/1, although Boris Johnson’s odds have shortened over the weekend from 2/7 to 1/6 despite his no-show last night. Betfair Spokesperson Katie Baylis said: “Failing a dramatic turn...

But Dominic Raab says he isn't so sure about the leadership hopeful.

Beijing has found its villain in its multi-fronted conflict with the United States: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The former CIA chief has been singled out for scorn, in Chinese state media and even at the foreign ministry, over his criticism of everything from Chinese tech giant Huawei to its record on human rights. During a regular media briefing on Monday, China's Foreign Ministry accused Pompeo by name of telling lies, a striking departure from its usual practice of referring...

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's prime minister, promised he would take the United Kingdom out of the European Union by Oct. 31, saying that only by preparing to leave without an agreement could a no-deal Brexit be prevented. Johnson, a former foreign minister and London mayor, is the clear favourite to replace Theresa May. He won the backing of 114 of 313 Conservative lawmakers in a first round of voting on Thursday, almost three times as many as...

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as Britain's prime minister, came under pressure on Friday to face the media over his Brexit plans as another of his rivals dropped out of the leadership battle. Health minister Matt Hancock quit the battle to succeed May as Conservative Party leader, saying the party was looking for a candidate for the present not the future, leaving six contenders amongst whom Johnson is the overwhelming favourite. He won the backing of 114...

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as Britain's prime minister, must face more scrutiny over his Brexit plans, his closest rival said on Friday with a taunt that his hero Winston Churchill would not shy away from the media. Johnson has pledged that Britain will exit the European Union on Oct. 31, warning his divided Conservative Party "delay means defeat". He argues that if Britain is prepared for a no-deal Brexit, the EU will bend to his argument...

German analysis of Britain’s current political impasse has been making the rounds on Twitter – with no translation needed. The article – entitled Der große Clusterfuck der Tories – has been shared on social media under the caption: “My German is not that great. But I think I understand the headline.” It was penned before Britain secured an extension to Article 50 and warned that leaving the EU could have disastrous economic and social consequences for Britain. Describing Theresa May...

Powerful messages have been beamed onto unsafe tower blocks across the country two years on from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire. On 14th June 2017 72 people were killed after flames were able to spread quickly through a tower block in West London due to cladding made from highly flammable aluminium composite material (ACM). In the aftermath it emerged that 433 other high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings had the same kind of cladding. Firefighters today warned that we risk...