MPs, tonight, voted for a general election on 12th December 2019. MPs voted in favour of the pre-Christmas election by 438 to 20; a majority of 418. The bill that seeks to implement a 12th December general election will now go to the House of Lords, who are expected to pass it through. Tory backbencher and chairman of the hardline Brexit-supporting European Research Group, Steve Baker, told the Commons: “On a serious note, this bill of course has to go through [the Lords] and I think if the other place were to put in amendments to this simple and straightforward bill, which sought to ..read more

Currency traders, preparing for post-Brexit volatility in currency markets after the, now defunct, 31st October Brexit deadline, placed bets worth billions of pounds in options – the majority of these have now expired worthless. The pound is holding above $1.29 after the EU gave the UK another extension, or ‘flextension’, till 31st January 2020. This left many options, maturing today, in a loss, including a notional value of over £10 billion ($13 billion) that the currency would slump below $1.28 or climb above $1.30. Full article: Bloomberg Brexit The post Pound Sterling bets worth bil ..read more

Brexit-fatigue is real, widespread and may, rightly or wrongly, decide the 2019 general election. Boris Johnson’s “let’s get Brexit done” slogan is not without substance. There’s a large chunk of the population who are not incredibly engaged in the Brexit debate and nor do they keep up with latest Brexit developments. They do, however, have to endure Brexit news constantly thrust upon them on the TV, in newspapers, online and social media (maybe not Instagram). Many people are genuinely turned-off Brexit and just want to see it over with. This doesn’t, of course, mean we should just get ..read more

Since the EU referendum in 2016, this will be the second general election without Brexit having actually happened. Now, a key question is what do voters want from this election? If they want an election at all that is. The major parties are seemingly clear on their Brexit positions: Lib Dems: revoke Article 50 or a second referendum – no details on the options they’d give voters Labour: negotiate a new deal – a softer Brexit – and then offer a second referendum Conservatives: leave with Boris Johnson’s deal or no-deal – “let’s get Brexit done” (Brexit Party): no-deal or as they say, a ‘c ..read more

Donald Tusk, the outgoing President of the European Council, said the bloc has formally approved delaying Brexit to 31st January 2020. He also added that this delay “may be the last one.” To my British friends, The EU27 has formally adopted the extension. It may be the last one. Please make the best use of this time. I also want to say goodbye to you as my mission here is coming to an end. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 29, 2019 Tusk, who will leave his role after five years at the end of November 2019, always made clear his desire of wa ..read more