Politics

This morning 100-150 lorries were supposed to turn up to a disused airport to stage a huge fake traffic jam. The idea was to see how we would cope during a No-deal Brexit scenario and the expected travel (and other) chaos. Unfortunately only around 90 vehicles turned up to the airstrip, at the old Manston airport, in Kent. The convoy of lorries then set off at just after 8am from the disused airfield, on a 20-mile route to the Port...

Prime Minister Theresa May again ruled out going back to the people to give them final say over the UK's future relationship with the EU, insisting that giving the people another vote would be “disrespecting the vote of the people." -Yet the Prime Minister seemed prepared for the House of Commons to vote on her deal more than once if that is what it takes to get her deal through. - While all the while she runs the clock down...

Carluccio's has announced it will pay 'Settled Status' for EU staff in memory of its founder Antonio, who made the journey from Europe to London to set up the established chain. EU citizens wishing to stay in the UK after 30 June 2021 will have to apply to the government in order to have an indefinite right to remain. Applications will cost £65 for adults and £32.50 for under-16s, a charge that was dubbed "unacceptable" by Nicola Sturgeon. The Scottish government was...

The Nationwide building society has reported that compared with a year earlier there was a house price rise of only 0.5 per cent in December, the lowest level since February 2013. The lender believes that uncertainty over the economic outlook is hampering confidence in the housing market. London and surrounding areas saw a small fall in house prices in 2018. The average house price in the UK in December 2018 was £212,281 compared to £211,156 in December 2017. Northern Ireland...

Economic worries, Brexit uncertainty and the trade war between the US and China saw the FTSE 100 tumble by 12.5 per cent during 2018, wiping out more than £240 billion off shareholder value. The blue-chip index of top UK shares ended the year at 6,728 points, down from 7,687 on the last trading day of 2017. The sell-off has inflicted significant losses on pension funds, major fund managers and small investors alike. Shares in major house builders fell sharply amid...

A dredger from the Netherlands was put to work in Ramsgate yesterday as preparations for the ferry company with no ferries were put in place. The Dutch dredger was spotted clearing rubbish, weeds and excess mud at the Kent site to prepare for potential extra freight trade crossings. Seaborne Freight is seeking to reopen Ramsgate-Ostend service, although it is yet to operate a scheduled ferry service. In fact, the firm is so small it qualifies as a small enterprise so...

Leading economists have warned Brexit will be either ‘bad or awful’ for UK prospects in 2019 with damage likely to be inflicted even if Britain manages to avoid a disorderly Brexit. The UK can expect no more than 1.5 per cent economic growth over the next year in the best case scenario, according to a Financial Times survey. Nina Skero, head of macroeconomics at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said that whatever its long-term effects, “in 2019, Brexit...

UK companies in the manufacturing and service sector have indicated that they are struggling to recruit skilled staff because of uncertainty around Britain's future with the European Union.  Brexit has been blamed as 81 per cent of manufacturers and 70 per cent of service sector firms report difficulties recruiting the right skilled staff for their organisations. At the same time they are being hit with rising costs and a reduction in sales. This perfect storm could send many businesses to...

“Currently if people come here and claim asylum and it is found they claimed asylum in another EU country they can be returned to that EU country. If we are out of the Dublin Agreement we would be out of that.”