The telephone line had been secretly set up. Donald Trump waited on the other end. All Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, had to do was come out of his hotel suite and walk into a secure room where Mr Trump’s voice would be piped in via speaker.Mr …
October 1, 2019Read More
Working-level talks will be held this weekend between America and North Korea. What happens next? Can a deal be struck?
October 1, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson said the European Union will insist on customs checks because the whole U.K. — including Northern Ireland — is leaving.Blaming the bloc for the need for checks is likely to inflame tensions in both Brussels and Dublin, an…
October 1, 2019Read More
Britain’s decision to leave the European Union will have no long-term impact on Ryanair, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Tuesday, adding that the UK would need an EU trade deal and it was unrealistic to think otherwise. “If you look out long e…
October 1, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump’s criticism of his Ukraine envoy, deployment of Rudy Giuliani to dig up dirt on a rival and a move to suspend crucial military aid left U.S. diplomats normally in charge of carrying out American foreign policy forced to cont…
October 1, 2019Read More
Britain will table new proposals on a Brexit deal “very soon”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday, while distancing himself from a leaked plan about the Irish border. Versions of his long-awaited proposal reported in UK and Irish media suggest …
October 1, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg Opinion) — Revelations about Boris Johnson’s personal life, when they periodically emerge, have tended mainly to serve as tabloid fodder for a few days and then flame out. Two recent allegations, however, could prove much harder for the prime minister to simply swat away.The first emerged over a week ago when the Sunday Times published a story alleging that Johnson, during his time as Mayor of London, used his influence to help American former model and tech entrepreneur, Jennifer Arcuri, now 34, get access to government funds and coveted places on overseas trade missions.The Times stories and those that followed – including reports of frequent visits to Arcuri’s flat from the then-married mayor – would have been media catnip at any time. But it’s the allegation that his private life might have impaired Johnson’s judgment as a public official that gives it legs. They are now the subject of three separate investigations into whether the Mayor failed to declare a personal interest, including a police investigation referred by the Greater London Authority because as mayor, Johnson was in charge of policing and crime-fighting.Johnson has denied any impropriety in his official duties. In keeping with his policy, he has refused to comment on the nature of his past relationship with the entrepreneur.That doesn’t mean the stories will go away. In fact, they could become a major test of whether voters’ concern with Brexit overrides all else in the next general election. For many Conservative voters who have been inclined to support his Brexit policy, and especially for many women, the stories will be a reminder of a long-held, small-c conservative view that matters of personal morality and those of probity in public office are often not very far apart.Arcuri was clearly a force in London’s burgeoning tech scene at the time. Fresh out of business school, she set up a company called Innotech to run events for the tech sector. Johnson’s presence at the events, and hers on mayoral trade missions to Singapore, Malaysia and Tel Aviv, helped put Arcuri on the map in that world. A 2014 Business Insider story names her as one of the 25 top women in tech, along with Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet and Martha Lane Fox of lastminute.com fame. “Thanks to her close ties with London mayor Boris Johnson, the shaggy-haired politician has repeatedly agreed to speak at the event, which also shows the government’s interest in the east London tech cluster,” it wrote of Arcuri.That Johnson would grace those events raises eyebrows now, but it didn’t so much at the time. London’s now established tech sector was young and starving for funds and attention; government officials seemed keen to show their support.Arcuri is clearly someone who could gather the geeks and the hooded coder-dudes in a room, make them feel they had superpowers, and then go market those powers to politicians and companies that didn’t know their DDoS from their MitM attacks. She has evangelized for women in tech and tech education. Much of it was also photo-op fodder: Arcuri with Johnson, Arcuri in a selfie with Brexit czar Michael Gove, Arcuri in front of 10 Downing Street in two separate outfits, Arcuri giving a Ted talk. The Sunday Times report said that Innotech received two grants in 2013 totaling 11,500 pounds ($14,149) from a promotional organization that Johnson was responsible for as mayor. Arcuri reportedly received a 15,000-pound government grant, under the Sirius program designed to woo foreign entrepreneurs to build businesses in Britain.Earlier this year, Hacker House, which Arcuri set up with professional hacker Matthew Hickey to provide cyber-security training, received the first disbursement in a 100,000-pound award from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, earmarked for U.K.-based companies to provide cybersecurity training and also “boost diversity” in the sector. The government has disbursed 47,000 pounds and frozen the rest pending the investigation. Hickey, who tweets as @hackerfantastic and is also Arcuri’s husband, has vigorously defended her and Hacker House against allegations that it won business improperly. Arcuri has said that all funding was in respect to her position as a legitimate businesswoman.As the Arcuri story was gaining momentum, the first day of the Tory Party conference in Manchester on Sunday was marred by revelations by Sunday Times journalist Charlotte Edwardes, that Johnson had squeezed her thigh, and that of another unnamed woman, at a boozy lunch when he was editor of the Spectator in 1999. Downing Street issued a statement that “the allegation is untrue,” an unusual move because Johnson doesn’t normally comment on such things. Edwardes tweeted in response: “If the prime minister doesn’t recollect the incident then clearly I have a better memory than he does.”Some around Johnson at the party conference showed clear discomfort about the whole thing. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said of Edwardes, “I know her and I know her to be trustworthy,” a sentiment echoed by former cabinet minister Amber Rudd. U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid came to Johnson’s defense, saying he has total trust in the prime minister.Together, the two sets of allegations may be harder to shake than any Johnson has faced in the past. Johnson’s ties to Arcuri will have to survive formal investigations, not just trial by media. If Johnson helped Hacker House understand what was required to successfully bid for government contracts, that is one thing; if he failed to declare a personal interest or intervened to see that contracts were awarded, that is entirely another.The second allegations are more complicated to adjudicate. While Johnson’s personal peccadilloes may be tolerated, Edwardes’s allegations, even if many will question the timing, go further than anything previously reported about the prime minister’s character. Former Defense Minister Michael Fallon had to resign over not dissimilar allegations under Theresa May. Her close adviser Damian Green was also forced to resign after being found to have made misleading statements about pornography on one of his parliamentary office computers.Johnson’s strategy seems to be to tar anyone who discusses such matters as being hell-bent on frustrating the U.K. from leaving the European Union on Oct. 31. Will his divided party toe that line? His cabinet is reportedly divided over his Brexit plans and leaks on Monday night suggest that the EU is so far not buying his proposals. It may still be that Brexit is so paramount for Conservative voters – or, if not, then at least keeping socialist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn out of power is — they trump everything else in the next election. Forces are coming together that could test that theory to the limit.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at [email protected] contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at [email protected] column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
October 1, 2019Read More
Russia might still have a reputation as a nation of hard drinkers, but a report by the World Health Organization published Tuesday showed alcohol consumption has dropped by 43 percent since 2003. The WHO put the decrease down to a raft of measures bro…
October 1, 2019Read More
Boris Johnson poised to reveal his final Brexit plan to EU leaders William Hague: The rule of law is integral to conservatism. The Tories should not fight it Michael Deacon: Francois is breakout star of Brexit. And on Monday he showed why No-deal Brexit odds: Latest predictions on leaving EU without deal Sign up: Brexit Whatsapp updates and the Brexit Bulletin Reported plans by the British Government to create customs posts along both sides of the Irish border to replace the backstop, have been dismissed by Simon Coveney. Irish State broadcaster RTE reported the suggestion sent to the European Union by the UK would lead to the posts being built between five and 10 miles back from the current border. The idea for the customs posts are contained in the so-called ‘non-papers’ submitted by UK officials during recent technical discussions. The deputy Irish premier poured cold water on the plans, saying Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland “deserves better.” He tweeted: “Non-Paper Non-Starter. Time the EU had a serious proposal from the UK Govt if a £Brexit deal is to be achievable in October. NI and IRE deserves better!” Brexit | The best comment and analysis Mr Johnson will finally unveil his detailed plan for Brexit to EU leaders within the next 24 hours, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. Downing Street will set out the Prime Minister’s preferred alternative to the Irish backstop in a series of calls to EU capitals ahead of a formal text being delivered to Brussels after his speech to the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday. The UK plan, which could be delivered as early as Tuesday, is expected to be based on the creation of an all-Ireland “economic zone” which would allow agricultural and food products to move between Ulster and the republic without checks at the border. A proposal to align regulations on industrial goods is expected to be included. Q&A; | The Brexit backstop The proposal will also suggest ways for Northern Ireland’s political parties to have a say in the application of any EU rules and regulations in order to build democratic legitimacy for the replacement to the backstop. But on the critical question of customs – which the EU side says is a potential deal-breaker – the Johnson plan is still expected to rely on technology and so-called “alternative arrangements”, such as trusted-trader schemes and exemptions for small businesses. 7:43AM Good morning from Manchester Boris Johnson’s plans for Brexit are set to be revealed in the next few days. Legal text for a deal has been drawn up and will be given to the EU after the Prime Minister delivers his conference speech tomorrow. His plans for customs checks have, however, already been attacked by Ireland. He’ll be doing the media rounds so we’ll report any worthy nuggets. Priti Patel will today unveil a £10 million investment in stun guns to arm police in the battle against knife crime as well as a major offensive against “county lines” drug gangs. We will keep you posted with all the latest developments. 7:30AM Front pages today It’s a mixed bag from today’s national newspapers, but the Prime Minister featured in one way or another on the majority of them. 7:23AM What’s coming up today? Well, it’s all about Boris Johnson this morning. He is scheduled to appear on BBC Breakfast at 7.45am after news filtered through about the imminent release of his Brexit plans. The Prime Minister is also down to appear on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in its coveted 8.10am interview slot. And it’s not just Brexit on the news agenda – there is the allegations that the Conservative leader squeezed a woman’s thigh in the 1990s, a claim he has denied.
October 1, 2019Read More
Brexit is 30 days away.(Bloomberg) — Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.Today in Brexit: The U.K. government has completed the draft text of a deal. Now it needs to get it through the EU and Parliament.What’s Happening…
October 1, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg Opinion) — There’s a new political battleground in British politics, and it’s one workers will like.Boris Johnson’s ruling Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition Labour Party are sparring over who will raise the country’s minimum wage…
October 1, 2019Read More
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