Politics

Britain's financial watchdog has defended its controversial decision not to sanction lender RBS or its former executives for past mistreatment of small business customers. The Financial Conduct Authority said it was sticking by its decision not to apply penalties for actions of RBS's former turnaround unit, the Global Restructuring Group. "Our investigation has found that GRG clearly fell short of the high standards its clients expected but it was largely unregulated and so our powers to take action in such...

The global use of the euro currency surged from record lows last year, mostly on a flight from the dollar due to the volatility of American politics and concerns about rising U.S. interest rates, the European Central Bank said on Thursday. Demand for the euro, the world's second most widely used currency after the dollar, fell to historic lows over the past decade. Its rebound suggests both concerns about U.S. politics and growing confidence about the future of the euro...

Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, said on Wednesday he saw no reason why British businesses could not survive Brexit and the recent visit of President Donald Trump had shown him the issue would also not effect U.S. relations. The royal family is expected to remain neutral on political matters and has mostly avoided making any reference to Brexit, although the 93-year-old queen issued a delicately coded message to lawmakers in January, urging them to seek common ground....

Britain's interior minister Sajid Javid, one of the candidates to replace Theresa May as prime minister, said it was odd that he was not invited to a royal banquet with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month. Javid, who is of Muslim heritage, was the only senior cabinet minister not invited to the event during Trump's state visit at which guests dined in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace with Queen Elizabeth. The prime minister, the foreign minister, the finance minister,...

Labour and its cross-party alliance has lost its bid to block a no-deal Brexit by barring the next PM from suspending parliament. The numbrs of yes votes was 298 and the number of no votes was 309, a majority of 11. The motion had the backing of former Conservative minister Oliver Letwin and the leaders of the Scottish National party, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. Labour MP Gareth Snell said he "made a mistake" voting against withdrawal...

As Boris Johnson makes his leadership race speech a leaked cabinet note indicates that the UK is not ready for a no-deal Brexit. Johnson told the crowd that the UK will leave on October 31st if there is no other option. However, the note says that it will take “six to eight months” to build up medical supplies, vital to the nation. The urgent warning says the pharmaceutical industry needs this period of help from the government “to ensure adequate arrangements are...

A video of a Brexit Party MEP trying to vote with his finger rather than ID card has gone viral. Lance Forman, MEP for London, posted a video of him attempting to press the 'no' button on a voting machine yesterday. The Brexiteer said in the tweet: "Just practicing voting 'No'. From what I am finding it seems that legislation proposed by the unelected commission always passes. Have only been here a day, but it's very clear, there is no...

The Labour Party has tabled a motion that would prevent a future Tory Prime Minister from forcing through a 'no deal' Brexit on 31 October. Up for debate in parliament tomorrow the cross-party motion would hand control of the parliamentary agenda to MPs on Tuesday 25th June. If it passes MPs will have the chance to introduce measures, including legislation, that could help avoid a no deal Brexit. The intervention has come after several contenders for the Tory leadership have...

Dominic Grieve called Boris Johnson a “shallow populist” who would bring doom to the Conservative Party in a scathing interview published today. The Tory MP for Beaconsfield told The New European that Johnson would be “manifestly unsuitable for high office” if he won the leadership race – which he is widely tipped to do. He said he abhors the kind of “pub patriotism” that Johnson and some of his fellow Brextremists, such as Nigel Farage, have come to embody, saying...