21 December 2018 | UK NEWS
Leading the agenda:
– Justice Secretary David Gauke has suggested he will resign from the Cabinet in the event of a no deal Brexit. However Gauke’s potential resignation is unlikely to pertain any shift in government policy.
– The military was called in to deal with a drone flying in Gatwick Airport’s air space. Senior civil servants made the decision after a meeting earlier today. Gatwick’s runway has since reopened but the drone operator has not been caught. It is believed the operator is an environmental activist.
– Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaking the Conservative Party’s code of conduct after he had written that women in burkas looked like letter boxes and bank robbers. Free speech activists have celebrated the decision, although many questioned why Johnson was under investigation in the first place.
– The number of cars made in the UK fell 19.6% in November, the steepest drop in a decade. Pundits believe this is the beginning of the sector’s reduction which will continue after the UK leave’s the EU.
General:
– MP Ivan Lewis has left the Labour Party over its inability to deal with anti-Semitism. He will now sit as an Independent MP.
– Homeless deaths are up 24% in England and Wales. Many across the political spectrum believe the current government has abjectly failed on the issue of homelessness. It’s likely government policy will increasingly prioritise the area given the growing awareness of the issue.
– Irish PM Leo Varadkar has stated Ireland would pursue an open border with the UK in the event of a no deal Brexit.
– The Bank of England have held interest rates, citing lingering uncertainty around Brexit as the reason for doing so.
– Government has warned businesses who trade with the EU to make preparations for a no deal Brexit.
– Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has suggested she may support a second EU referendum.
