Greenwich stabbing: 18-year-old man knifed to death at flat in south London town

Crime reporter,London(wp/es):

A 18-year-old man has been stabbed to death at a flat in Greenwich town centre, police said.

The teenager was knifed on Saturday night at an apartment in the south London town. 

Police and paramedics raced to the flat in Topham House, Prior Street, at 10.40pm. 

Medics fought to save the victim but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Scotland Yard said a 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the attack and remains at a south London police station. 

A Met Police spokesman said: "His [the victim's] next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course. Formal identification awaits. "

A crime scene remained in place on Sunday morning and murder detectives are investigating with police from Greenwich.

Police are appealing for witnesses and those with information about this attack to contact police them 101 quoting CAD 7621/8Dec or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

UK economy slows in three months to October, trade prospects darker

Business reporter(wp/Reuters):
Britain’s economy lost speed as expected in the three months to October, reflecting falling car sales and factory stoppages due to weaker demand, raising questions about the economy’s health ahead of Brexit.
Gross domestic product growth in the three months to October slowed to 0.4 percent from an unusually robust 0.6 percent in the third quarter of 2018, in line with a Reuters poll of economists.

However, the Office for National Statistics warned that the third-quarter growth data was at risk of being revised downwards, due to a big upwards revision in Britain’s trade deficit for the three months to September.

Compared with a year earlier, growth in October held at September’s 1.5 percent, against expectations of a slight pick-up, while in October alone GDP rose by 0.1 percent as expected.

Monday’s data confirm the British economy’s strength in the third quarter of 2018 represented something of a blip, caused by a boost to consumer spending from an unusually warm summer.

More recent business surveys suggest Britain’s economy is slowing sharply as businesses stall in the face of uncertainty about the terms on which the country will leave the European Union on March 29 next year.

A closely watched purchasing managers’ index for November last week pointed to growth of just 0.1 percent in the final quarter of 2018.

Monday’s data do not give updated details of business investment, which fell sharply in the three months to September.

Britain’s economy has slowed since the June 2016 Brexit vote, its annual growth rate slipping from top spot among the Group of Seven group of rich nations to vying with Japan and Italy for bottom place in the rankings.

Monday’s data showed annual growth in Britain’s dominant services sector picked up to 1.8 percent from 1.6 percent, but factory output recorded its largest fall since March 2016, down 1.0 percent on the year.

EU court ruling boosts Brexit opponents

Political reporter(wp/Reuters):
The European Union’s top court ruled on Monday that the British government may reverse its decision to leave the bloc without consulting other member states in a decision welcomed by those campaigning to stop Brexit.

In an emergency judgement delivered just a day before the British parliament is due to vote on a Brexit deal agreed with the EU by Prime Minister Theresa May, the Court of Justice (ECJ) said: “The United Kingdom is free to revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU.”

The ruling is in line with an opinion delivered last week by a Court legal adviser. That had boosted the hopes of British Brexit opponents that a new referendum could be held that would prevent Britain’s scheduled departure on March 29, 2019.

May faces heavy opposition in parliament to her Brexit deal and many expect her quest for approval to be defeated, setting up further tense talks with the EU when she goes to Brussels on Thursday for a summit of national leaders.

Alyn Smith, a Scottish nationalist member of the European Parliament and one of those Brexit opponents who raised the case seeking clarification of Article 50 of the EU treaty to the European Union’s supreme court in Luxembourg said:

“Today’s ruling sends a clear message to UK MPs ahead of tomorrow’s vote that there is a way out of this mess. A light at the end of the tunnel for the economy, for jobs and for the UK’s standing on the world stage. Now it’s up to the UK.

“If the UK chooses to change their minds on Brexit, then revoking Article 50 is an option and the European side should make every effort to welcome the UK back with open arms.”

May’s environment minister Michael Gove, who campaigned for Brexit, dismissed the ruling by repeating the government’s insistence that it would not reverse its decision to leave.

The ECJ said in its statement that Britain should suffer no penalties if it halts the Article 50 process which May triggered last year after a June 2016 referendum: “Such a revocation, decided in accordance with its own national constitutional requirements, would have the effect that the United Kingdom remains in the EU under terms that are unchanged.”

EU leaders have long insisted they would welcome Britain changing its mind, but many EU officials and legal experts had believed that the approval of either all or most of the other 27 members states would be needed to halt Brexit altogether.

Some senior EU officials have also said that Britain should be allowed to remain but could be asked to give up some of the special terms it has acquired over the past four decades, notably a hefty rebate on its payments to the bloc’s budget.

It is far from clear whether or how Britain could organise a new referendum, notably given the short time left until Brexit.

If May wins her vote on Tuesday, the withdrawal seems likely to proceed as agreed with Brussels last month. If she loses, her own position could be in jeopardy, there could be a move for a new election, or possibly to hold a new referendum.

Many warn, however, that it could stir unrest. Opinion polls suggest that any new majority for staying in the EU is narrow.

Facebook to buy back additional $9 billion of shares

IT reporter(wp/reuters):

Facebook Inc (FB.O) will buy back an additional $9 billion of its shares, as it looks to pacify investors following a slump in its stock.

The social media giant’s shares, which have tumbled more than 22 percent this year, rose nearly 1 percent in extended trading.

The new program is in addition to a share buyback plan of up to $15 billion announced by the company last year.

Facebook is being investigated by lawmakers in Britain after consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which worked on Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential campaign, obtained personal data of 87 million Facebook users from a researcher.

Concerns over the social media giant’s practices, the role of political adverts and possible foreign interference in the 2016 Brexit vote and U.S. elections are among the topics being investigated by British and European regulators.

As Brexit crunch nears, campaign for new referendum gathers pace

Political reporter(wp/reuters):
After losing the most contentious referendum in British history, James McGrory went for a drink in The Hope pub near London’s medieval meat market. Amid butchers in bloodied coats, his dream of reversing Brexit seemed hopeless.

Two years later, with the country in crisis over how or whether to leave the European Union, McGrory is feeling more confident that his campaign can help secure another referendum that he hopes would overturn the 2016 result.

The idea of a second referendum has been gathering support from some senior British politicians and seems to have traction with sections of public opinion, but the political situation is so uncertain that it is hard to say whether this will actually translate into another vote, and when or how that might done, or what question might be put.

Full Coverage: The Road to Brexit

“We have gone from being seen as a fringe view, dismissed and laughed at, to now being at the centre of the Brexit debate,” McGrory, the 36-year-old campaign director of the People’s Vote campaign, said in an interview.

“The odds are getting shorter every day that we get another referendum. All the momentum is with our campaign.”

Betting odds show there is a 43 percent probability of an EU referendum before 2020. Gamblers think there is a 55 percent probability that Britain does not leave as planned on March 29.

Opinion polls suggest there has been a slight shift by voters towards remaining in the EU, but the public remains broadly split down the middle.

It remains unclear how exactly a second vote might be called, though some members of parliament have drafted a detailed roadmap, setting out possible legislative routes to another referendum.

Meanwhile, campaigners for another vote are busy lobbying parliament and trying to drum up public support with rallies and on social and mainstream media. They note Prime Minister Theresa May has included their desired outcome as one of three options facing the country: her deal, no deal or reversing Brexit.

U.S. investment bank J.P. Morgan said the chances of Britain calling off Brexit had increased after a string of parliamentary defeats for May cast new doubt over her plan to quit the bloc.

VOTE REVERSED?

Turning Brexit upside down would mark one of the most extraordinary reversals in modern British history and likely alienate the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU.

The path to a new referendum is fraught with crisis.

May's Brexit deal has first to be voted down in parliament on Dec. 11. Second, her government has to endure an attempt by the opposition Labour Party to topple it and then call a national election.

With the clock ticking down to March 29 and financial markets pricing in what would be a potentially disorderly exit, McGrory and his campaigners hope Britain’s politicians will accept they have come to a dead end and throw the question back to voters.

David Lammy, a Labour lawmaker, said that after parliament fails to reach a consensus it will reluctantly agree to hold another referendum as the best among a limited number of escape routes to avoid a potentially chaotic exit.

“We will probably end up going round and round in circles and when politics is stuck and cannot reach compromise then the only way to get out of that is to go back to the people,” Lammy told Reuters.

Lammy said that the situation may resemble Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House, which revolves around a will settlement that has been in court so long that few of the participants can remember the original arguments.

A new referendum can only be called if it is approved by parliament. This could be either put forward by the government or by rebels. 

PIPE DREAM?

The hurdles to another referendum are high.

Both major political parties are committed to leaving the EU in accordance with the 2016 referendum.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who voted against membership of the European Community in a 1975 referendum, has indicated he is not keen on another referendum now.

His party has said they will only support another referendum if the deal is voted down and they fail to force a general election.

Some trade union leaders opposed another referendum because they feel it would be seen as betrayal by millions of Brexit supporters in Labour’s electoral heartlands.

Brexit supporters say the 2016 vote must be respected. “It is wholly dangerous for us to turn to the people now and say, ‘You let us down. You got it wrong’,” said Nigel Evans, a Conservative MP.

Even if parliament did agree in principle to a second referendum, Britain would then have to ask for an extension to its timetable for leaving the EU to allow enough time for a campaign, probably by withdrawing its Article 50 departure notification.

On Tuesday, just hours before a five-day parliamentary debate on May's deal, an adviser to the European Court of Justice said Britain could revoke its formal divorce notice. The court is due to rule on Dec. 10.

Even if there was a change in mood there would be controversy about what the question would be and whether another referendum would deliver a different result.

UNDERDOG?

After the failure of the 2016 campaign, pro-Europeans turned on each other and blamed what they saw as the chicanery of their opponents on the Brexit campaign.

But in the wake of their defeat, a small group of influential politicians, journalists and campaigners started to hatch a plan to keep Britain inside the club it joined in 1973.

They had to face unpalatable truths.

Their 2016 campaign had been riven with rivalry, damaged by its association with then-Prime Minister David Cameron, underperformed on social media and was cast by opponents as the voice of the establishment arguing for the status quo.

In recent months, pro-EU campaigners have been feeling more optimistic. In October, the People’s Vote organised a march of almost 700,000 people through London demanding another vote.

“The tables have turned,” said McGrory. “We are the underdog. We are the scrappy campaign that is doing things a bit differently.”

In the last month, two ministers have resigned calling for another referendum.

Three of the four former British prime ministers still alive - John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - have also said a second referendum is the way to resolve the crisis.

The mood in the headquarters of the People’s Vote in Millbank Tower close to parliament is bullish.

Young people examine charts of target audiences and organise an advertising blitz to convince MPs to block the government’s deal.

“If anyone thinks Brexit is a done deal they should be ready for another surprise,” McGrory said.

Theresa May told not to risk humiliating Commons defeat as she is pressured to postpone vote

Pic:Under pressure: Theresa May ( AFP/Getty Images )
Poitical reporter(wp/es):

 has been urged by a leading Tory backbencher to delay the crucial vote on her Brexit deal to avoid a humiliating defeat.

Sir Graham Brady said “clarity” on the controversial backstop was more important than the timing of the vote on the Prime Minister’s agreement.

It comes after Mrs May was urged by some Cabinet ministers to postpone the vote, which many of her fellow Conservatives expect she will lose.

Sir Graham, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said he would welcome the vote being deferred if no solution could be found to differences within the party over the Northern Ireland border backstop.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight: "I think the most important thing is to have clarity about how we might remove ourselves from a backstop ... if we were to enter into one in the future.

"It's having the answer to that question of substance that is most important, not the timing, so if that question can be answered in the course of the next few days then all well and good.

"If it can't, then I certainly would welcome the vote being deferred until such time as we can answer that question."

MPs tabled earlier tabled an amendment to the meaningful vote on the deal that would give MPs some control over the controversial backstop, which has been the main sticking point after two years of negotiations

The alteration would mean Parliament will have to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement or extend the transition period beyond December 2020.

It was tabled by Northern Ireland minister Sir Hugo Swire, Richard Graham and Bob Neill, hours after the Prime Minister indicated Parliament would choose between the two options after the UK formally quits the EU.

The move is likely to be seen as a bid to bolster flagging support for Mrs May ahead of a crunch Commons vote on her EU withdrawal deal next Tuesday - a showdown the PM made clear on Thursday morning she would not postpone.

But it remains to be seen whether it goes far enough to win over enough Tory Brexiteers to get the deal through the Commons.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party opposes Mrs May's deal, warned that the amendment would not be enough, tweeting: "Domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it.

"The legally binding international Withdrawal Treaty would remain fundamentally flawed as evidenced by the Attorney General's legal advice."

The backstop, intended to prevent the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland, is highly controversial as Brexiteer MPs claim it traps the UK into obeying rules set by Brussels without a say over them.

The Government says it aims to conclude a comprehensive trade deal with the EU before a backstop arrangement would be needed.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop would be introduced if a trade deal had not been agreed by both sides by the time the transition period ends in December 2020.

However, the transition period could be extended for a maximum of two more years.

UK temporary workers enjoy biggest pay rise since 2007 - REC

business correspondent(wp/Reuters):

Temporary staff in Britain had their biggest pay rises in more than a decade last month as the approach of Brexit made workers wary about changing jobs, leaving employers scrambling to fill positions, a survey of recruiters showed on Friday.

Pay for temporary staff employed via recruitment agencies grew by the most since the eve of the financial crisis in July 2007, while starting salaries for permanent staff rose at one of the fastest rates in nearly four years.

Sectors such as hospitality and warehousing struggled to fill their vacancies in the run-up to Christmas, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said.

The number of permanent and temporary staff being hired grew at the slowest rate since the summer, though in outright terms demand remained strong.

“It’s very much a candidate’s market at the moment and demand for workers is driving a sharp increase in starting salaries,” said James Stewart, vice chair of accountants KPMG, who sponsor the survey.

As fears of a no-deal Brexit spark concerns about job security, fewer people are willing to risk changing jobs.

“Candidates who are prepared to take a chance and job hop can often bag a pay rise as a result,” Stewart said.

Companies have complained of fewer foreign workers coming to Britain in the run-up to Brexit and official figures have shown the lowest net immigration from the European Union since 2012.

Past REC data showing stronger growth in starting salaries and temporary wages has not always translated into stronger earnings across the British workforce as a whole.

However, the most recent official data for average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, for full-time employees showed the sharpest annual growth in almost a decade, with wages up 3.2 percent on the year in the three months to the end of September.

The Bank of England has said it expects to raise interest rates gradually as wages rise, generating inflation pressure.