Political News

Trump softens stance on overseas technologies
President Donald Trump has signalled a weakening in US resolve to block overseas companies such as Huawei from being used in mobile networks.
Ninth Labour MP resigns from party
A ninth Labour MP resigned from the party on Friday in protest at its failure to deal with antisemitism among members.
May battling to prevent Tory defections, Cabinet revolt over Brexit
Prime Minister Theresa May was battling to head off more defections and a potential Cabinet revolt over her Brexit deal on Thursday as she met pro-European MPs.
UK MPs could get Brexit vote as soon as next week - Hammond
MPs could be given a vote on a revised Brexit deal as soon as next week, Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Thursday as European Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker said he was pessimistic about reaching agreement.

Food prices could soar 40% in 'no-deal' Brexit, UK, Irish retailers warn
UK and Irish retailers on Thursday warned that food products such as beef or cheddar cheese could be subject to 40% tariffs or more if the UK were to apply World Trade Organization rates on trade after a no-deal Brexit.

UK public finances see record surplus in January
Britain's public accounts enjoyed a record surplus at the start of 2019, which economists said would likely allow the Chancellor to provide another modest fiscal boost to the economy.

Austerity leaves UK economy £100bn smaller - thinktank
The UK government’s austerity policies have left the country’s economy £100bn smaller since 2010, a thinktank said on Thursday.

Three Tory MPs resign to join Independent Group
The febrile and fractured nature of British politics was laid bare on Wednesday as three Conservative MPs resigned from the party in protest at its lurch to the right and joined ranks with the Independent Group of eight Labour defectors in parliament.

Maduro challenges Guaido to new elections and calls him 'Mr. Clown'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro challenged opposition leader Juan Guaido to general elections on Tuesday.

TfL picks Go-Ahead and ViaVan for new 'on-demand' bus trial
Transport for London launched a four-week consultation on plans to trial what it called an “innovative on-demand bus service” in the south London borough of Sutton on Wednesday.

Manufacturers warn no-deal Brexit will 'kill off' some sectors
UK manufacturers have warned the government that leaving the EU without a deal would be "catastrophic" for the sector and that the prospect of applying zero tariffs on imported goods as a consequence would kill off certain sectors of industry "overnight".

Trump says trade talks with China going 'very very well'
US President Donald Trump said trade talks with China were going "very very well" and said he would be willing to delay the 1 March deadline that would see tariffs on Chinese products rise from 10% to 25%.

May, Juncker set for more Brexit talks in Brussels
UK Prime Minister Theresa May was set to hold more Brexit talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday, as UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said an agreement on the Irish backstop would help Britain meet its March 29 departure date.

Corbyn shaken as 8th MP quits to join Independent Group
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's grip on his party was shaken on Tuesday as an eighth MP resigned in protest over failure to deal with antisemitism.

Bernie Sanders to run for president in 2020
Bernie Sanders announced on Tuesday that he will run again for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Europe midday: Stocks drop as investors assess damage from global slowdown
Stocks across the Continent are slipping lower as investors try to gauge the likely extent of the ongoing economic slowdown and wait for fresh headlines out of the trade talks between the US and China, which were set to resume later in the day, in Washington DC.

Three policemen killed in Cairo suicide bombing
Three policemen were killed in a suicide bombing near Cairo’s famed tourist market late on Monday night, in an attack that also wounded two other policemen and a woman, according to Egyptian officials.

Huawei founder says CFO arrest was politically motivated
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said on Monday that America's arrest of his daughter, the company's Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, was politically motivated.

New round of China-US trade talks starts in Washington
Chinese and US officials are set to reconvene in Washington on Tuesday to kick off a new round of talks on trade that follow positive negotiations last week in Beijing.

Half of UK consumers say Brexit will not impact their spending in 2019 - PwC
Around half of UK consumers said that their spending habits would not be affected by Brexit but most will be more cautious in what they buy, PwC’s latest report on trends in consumer spending revealed.