The City of London ‘will suffer’ in single-market exit, European Commission warns

Business correspondent(es/wp):
A senior figure at the European Commission has issued a stark warning for the future of the City of London if Britain leaves the European internal market, ramping up the rhetoric ahead of Brexit negotiations.
Vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis warned that leaving the market as well as the European Union “would have serious effects” for the capital’s financial centre.
In an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Dombrovskis said the EU would not allow Britain to “cherry-pick” in Brexit talks by abandoning the free movement of labour while keeping free access to EU financial and capital markets.
“At the moment, British banks only need a licence for one EU state to be able to be active in all member countries. The banks would lose this EU passport if Britain no longer wants to completely respect the rights and duties of the European internal market after it has left the EU,”  he said. Britain is yet to trigger Article 50 of the EU constitution, which would effectively rubber-stamp its intention to leave the 28-country union

However, a big concern for lenders is making sure the UK retains access to the European banking passport system which would allow business to be conducted across the union.
Dombrovskis’ comments came after Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association, this week said that unless a transition framework is put in place banks would soon have to decide whether to move operations to Europe, as such shifts could take several years to implement.
He added that Britain should negotiate transitional arrangements to avoid “cliff edge” disruption to financial markets

A man has been arrested after allegedly punching a five-day-old girl at a supermarket

staff reporter(wp/es):
A man has been arrested after allegedly punching a five-day-old girl at a supermarket because he thought she was a “doll”.
The man is said to have run up to tiny Elsie Rose in a Tesco store in Manchester before hitting her in the face as her mother Amy Duckers watched on in horror.
He then recoiled and apologised, allegedly stating: “Sorry I thought it was a doll”.
The baby girl, who weighed just 6lbs 12oz, was rushed to hospital but has since been discharged after doctors found she suffered no serious injuries.
A 63-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assault and is currently being questioned by officers.

It was the first time that Ms Ducker and her partner Lewis Temple had taken their baby out, while her seven-year-old daughter Libby was also with them.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “I’m absolutely broken and torn apart. I can’t believe what me and my daughter had to see last night it was just so horrific. I never ever want anyone to have to go through that again.
“We all heard the punch land on my little baby. We didn’t react at first as we were just so shocked. Then I just screamed.


“He could easily have killed her.”
Greater Manchester Police said: “A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a baby.
“Police were called shortly before 6.45pm to a supermarket on Altrincham Road in Baguley on Monday to reports of a child having been hit.
“The baby girl was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been discharged.
“A 63-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assault and is currently in custody being questioned by officers."

Teenager 'stabbed in the heart by mob of youths while fleeing party'

crime reporter(es/wp):
A mob of youths stabbed a 17-year-old boy through the heart when they were summoned to “sort out” gatecrashers at a girl’s 16th birthday party, the Old Bailey heard today.
Che Labastide-Wellington was knifed in the chest as he tried to flee from the posse of young men who had descended on the house party in Kenton last November, the court heard.
The mother of the birthday girl had banned alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes from the party and insisted everyone on the tightly-controlled guest list was searched before they entered the home.
But despite her efforts to maintain control, a group of teenagers from the estates in nearby Kingsbury turned up uninvited and were refused entry to the house, in Belvedere Way, Kenton, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said the group outside made partygoers feel “uncomfortable”, and while Che – who had been invited – went outside to talk to them, another partygoer, 15, is accused of calling his cousin to organise for reinforcements to come to the party.
“Within 40 minutes or so, a group of thirteen young men had set off on foot from Wembley Park heading for Kenton”, said the prosecutor.
“In the course of the journey they were joined by four others. In all then, by the time they got to Belvedere Way, their numbers had swelled to 17.
“For what reason did this small army descend on Belvedere Way?

“The prosecution suggest that they were there to sort out the youths who had been making life difficult for (the 15-year-old boy).”
Calvin Tudor, 22, his brother Marlon, 23, Walker Sesay, 18, Rimmel Williams, 18, Omar Afrah, 22, Ibrahim Mansaray, 18, and Olamilekan Kennedy Onafowokan, 23, are all standing trial for the murder on November 8 last year.
The 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named, is also in the dock accused of initiating the attack.
It is said the group also stabbed a 16-year-old boy who was with Che six times in the arms and legs, but he survived the attack.
Mr Aylett told the jury: “As the defendants’ group approached the house where the party was taking place, there were about half a dozen youths outside in the street, including the two boys who got stabbed.
“The prosecution allege that the defendants’ group appeared split in order to surround those who were outside the party.”
The court heard Che pulled out a knife and charged at the group surrounding them, but he himself was knifed in the chest - piercing his heart - as he tried to get away.
“Although he was able to break through the group and run into an alleyway, Che soon collapsed”, said Mr Aylett.
“He fell, face down onto the ground.”
Paramedics performed open heart surgery on Che, a business student, on the pavement in an attempt to save his life, but he died at the scene.

Calvin Tudor, of Kelly Close, Willesden, Sesay, of Rawlings Crescent, Wembley, Williams, of Churchill Road, Willesden, Marlon Tudor, of no fixed address, Afrah, of Walton Avenue, Wembley, Mansaray, from Cotton Avenue, Acton, Onafowokan, of Page Avenue, Wembley, all deny murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The 15-year-old denies conspiracy to cause grievous harm with intent.
The trial continues

cyclist left fighting for life after crash just ouside Buckingham Palace

Royal correspondent(wp/es):
A cyclist is fighting for his life after being hit by a car outside Buckingham Palace.
London's Air Ambulance landed outside the Queen’s residence shortly before noon today, sparking panic among tourists.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed officers had been called to Constitution Hill following the collision.
The male cyclist was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
An American tourist, known only as Dave, told the Standard: "The helicopter landed and all the medics came running out down the road.
"There was a bit of a panic, nobody knew what was going on."

Tourists gathered to take photographs of the air ambulance which stayed on the scene, behind a police cordon, for over two hours after the crash.
Others snapped selfies with helicopter crew.
British tourist Tony Gibbins said: "It's all taped off down there (Constitution Hill), you have to walk through the park to get past.
 "It looked as if a taxi had hit a push bike."

M&S agrees 'improved' pay deal after row over planned changes

Business correspondent(wp/es):
Marks & Spencer today struck a deal with employees over pay and pensions changes after offering “significantly improved” terms in response to a lengthy campaign by staff and MPs.
The agreement, which has been signed off by the retailer’s employee representatives, includes a number of amendments to the proposals first tabled by M&S in May following criticism that long-serving staff were being unfairly punished.
A petition over the issue has attracted over 98,000 signatures, which a group of MPs, led by Labour’s Siobhain McDonagh who raised the issue in parliament in July, handed over to the company at its Marble Arch flagship yesterday.
The new deal still offers the original pay rise to £8.50 an hour for store staff, or £9.65 in Greater London, the removal of Sunday premiums and “standardised” Bank holiday pay of time-and-a-half.
However, there were concessions for the 10% of M&S’s 69,000 retail staff who were set to be worse off under the new terms.

As well as a “transition payment” to compensate staff along with another potential one-off payment to maintain existing remuneration until March 2019, M&S said from that same year, any worker set to see pay fall from current levels would get another additional payment of 50% of their reduction in total pay.
They will be offered guaranteed extra hours to make up the remaining 50% that will amount to no more than three hours a week.
A pensions overhaul to move staff on its “not sustainable” final salary pension scheme to a defined contribution plan is also going ahead, but M&S will extend the cash supplement support from the two years it originally offered to three years.

M&S, which introduced the overhaul in response to the National Living Wage, said the “significantly improved support means that all colleagues will either receive higher pay or the opportunity to maintain current pay level”.
Retail Director Sacha Berendji added: “We’ve listened to our colleagues, acted on their feedback and are pleased that we’ve reached an outcome that gives enhanced support for our colleagues as well as making necessary changes to our business.”

But an M&S employee who has worked at the chain for nearly 20 years, told the Standard the updated deal constituted only a “slight movement” and was “not enough”. He also expressed concern that failure to agree could result in his contract being terminated.
“I love my job and my customers and M&S are better than some. I just feel that we should be the company that benchmarks good practices for others and unfortunately we are not.”
McDonagh added: “What M&S is telling them is that even if they work longer hours to make up the difference, they will earn no more money in three years’ time than they do today. How is that fair?
“It would be a betrayal to loyal staff, many with more than two or three decades professional experience, to say that this is a very good offer for them.”

Man dies after being hit by train in south London

staff reporter(es/wp);
A man has died after he was hit by a train in Croydon this morning.
Ambulances and transport police rushed to Thornton Heath station just after 4.50am this morning but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers from British Transport Police are now trying to work out the identity of the man and inform his next of kin, a spokesman said.
They said his death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will now be put together for the coroner.
Five police cars were spotted outside Thornton Heath station, on Brigstock Road, this morning.

The Prime Minister said the country needs a period of stability after the shockwaves of the Brexit vote

political correspondent(es/wp):
Theresa May has insisted there will be no snap election before 2020 as she dashed Remain supporters’ hopes of a fresh vote before the EU withdrawal  process formally begins.
The Prime Minister said the country needs a period of stability after the shockwaves of the Brexit vote.
And in her first major interview since taking office, she said the UK should be prepared for “difficult times” ahead despite recent positive economic indicators.
She told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I'm not going to be calling a snap election. I've been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability - to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.”
Mrs May, who said she will not formally trigger withdrawal negotiations by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty before the end of this year, acknowledged voters wanted to see the process under way.

"I'm very clear also that the British people don't want the issue of Article 50 being triggered just being kicked into the long grass because they want to know we're getting on with the job of - of putting Brexit into place and making a success of it."
She said the Scottish people did not want another vote on independence, and again firmly ruled out a second EU referendum.
The PM also warned it would not be "plain sailing" despite some encouraging economic data.
"We have had some good figures and better figures that some had predicted would be the case. I'm not going to pretend that it's all going to be plain sailing. I think we must be prepared for the fact that there may be some difficult times ahead. But what I am is optimistic."
Mrs May insisted controls on the movement of people from the EU to Britain needed to be imposed as part of an exit deal with Brussels.
She said: "What the vote, what leaving the European Union does enable us to do is, yes, to say what I think the British people are very clear about, which is that they don't want free movement to continue in the way that it has done in the past.
"They do want to see controls of movement of people coming in from the European Union. Now, obviously we're looking at what - what those options are, what that might be.

"But people also want to see the job opportunities, to see the economic opportunities, and so getting a good deal in trading goods and services is also obviously important for us," the PM said in an interview recorded in her constituency before she headed to China for the G20 summit.
Her comments come as Brexit Secretary David Davis is due to make a statement to the Commons this week on the government’s emerging position on the terms of withdrawal from Brussels.