London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes his debut on the global stage at the G7 summit this weekend, where all eyes will be on his chumminess with US President Donald Trump. The summit in France opens on Saturday, the one-month anniversary of the gaffe-prone Brexit cheerleader …
Read More »UK opposition seeks to oust PM to avoid no-deal Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jeremy Corbyn urged anti-Boris Johnson MPs to make him Britain’s caretaker prime minister to avoid a no-deal Brexit — but his proposal met with a mixed response on Thursday. The Labour main opposition leader said once in power, he would seek to delay Britain’s October …
Read More »Brexit turmoil drives UK towards recession
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank in the second quarter of the year on Brexit turmoil, official data showed Friday, placing the country on the verge of recession. Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.2 percent in the April-June period, the first time the economy has contracted in …
Read More »UK’s Johnson plans visa shake-up to attract science talent
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled plans Thursday for a new fast-track visa route for “the brightest and best”, in a bid to attract the world’s top scientists to Britain after Brexit. The “shake-up” of immigration rules is aimed at encouraging elite researchers and specialists in science, engineering and technology …
Read More »Can an election stop a no-deal Brexit?
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Will he, won’t he — and can he be stopped? Westminster is abuzz with talk of whether Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use an election to force through his Brexit plan. Many MPs are deeply opposed to his threat to take Britain out …
Read More »Britain’s Johnson suffers first electoral setback as PM
LLANELWEDD, United Kingdom | AFP | Boris Johnson suffered a setback in his first ballot box test as British prime minister on Friday after the Conservative candidate lost to a pro-EU rival in a by-election that slims his parliamentary majority to one. Thursday’s vote in the Welsh sheep farming community of …
Read More »How the Brexit-hit pound impacts the economy
London, United Kingdom | AFP | This week’s latest Brexit-fuelled collapse in the troubled pound is a boon for tourists and multinationals — but spells trouble for the purchasing power of UK households. Sterling tumbled Tuesday to two-year lows against the euro and dollar, plagued with concern that Britain will crash …
Read More »Boris Johnson and girlfriend Symonds move into Downing Street
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds moved into Downing Street on Monday, becoming the first unmarried couple to occupy the British prime minister’s official residence. The change of guard at the famous address was prompted by Theresa May’s forced resignation under the …
Read More »Brexit is a ‘massive economic opportunity’: PM Johnson
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said Brexit was a “massive economic opportunity” but had been treated under his predecessor Theresa May as “an impending adverse weather event”. In a speech in Manchester where he pledged new investment in Leave-voting areas, Johnson promised to …
Read More »Determined EU defies Johnson push for Brexit rewrite
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union on Thursday flatly rejected an aggressive push by Britain’s new prime minister Boris Johnson to rewrite the Brexit agreement. Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned EU member states that Johnson was trying to divide them by amping up the threat of a damaging …
Read More »