Day: September 3, 2019

    Britain's army of small businesses remain largely unprepared for a no-deal Brexit, some of the financial services industry's top bosses warned the chancellor on Monday. Sky News understands that senior bankers told Sajid Javid that while they had made the necessary contingency plans if the UK leaves the European Union's without a deal next month, many of their SME clients had not. The warning came from executives who had been called to a meeting to discuss "Brexit challenges and opportunities" with Mr Javid. One of those who attended the meeting said the bosses of major UK lenders including HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group were among those highlighting continuing concerns about the readiness of small businesses (SMEs) and possible implications for their supply chains....

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was bracing for a confrontation with lawmakers on Tuesday as they returned to work a week after his shock announcement of a suspension of Parliament this month. The move, which limited the time lawmakers have to find a way to prevent Britain from crashing out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without a deal, angered the opposition and aggravated divisions within his own party. Now, opposition and rebel lawmakers are trying to wrest the legislative agenda from Mr. Johnson and introduce a measure to bar a no-deal Brexit and require the government to request an extension of the Brexit deadline if no agreement is reached. Mr. Johnson has parried with a threat to call a snap election if lawmakers succeed in passing such legislation...

    Police have released an image of a woman they would like to speak to over a racially aggravated assault that left one victim with potentially broken ribs and a second with internal bleeding. The two women were attacked at around 5.30pm on 23 August as they passed through North Ealing underground station in west London British Transport Police (BTP) said the women, one in her 60s and another in her 30s, suffered verbal abuse for wearing the veil commonly worn by Muslim women. Shortly afterwards they were physically assaulted, leaving the elder of the two with potentially broken ribs and the younger victim with a black eye, bruising and internal bleeding. Officers have since released an image caught on CCTV of a woman they would like to speak to in connection with t...