Bosses welcome Philip Hammond’s olive branch towards corporate Britain

Pic:Chancellor Philip Hammond is giving a speech to the 2018 Tory conference in Birmingham ( reuters )
Business correspondent(wp/es):

Business leaders on Monday welcomed Chancellor Philip Hammond’s attempt to repair the Conservatives’ battered relationship with corporate Britain in an emollient conference speech.

Senior bosses have voiced mounting frustration with the Government’s attitude to business as Tories remain fixated on Brexit and the threat of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. 

Relations reached a nadir this summer with ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s reported “f**k business” response to concerns over the UK’s EU exit. 

Hammond’s set-piece, billed as the “f**k ‘f**k business’” speech, instead extended the olive branch to companies, with new commitments on the overhaul of the unpopular apprenticeship levy, which has seen the number of apprentices plummet by nearly a third. The CBI’s director general Carolyn Fairbairn voiced hopes that “the conference can represent a change of tone”. 

Donor and former Tory party treasurer Michael Spencer warned: “The big, medium and small business community are genuinely really upset, disappointed and shocked that whenever the PM talks about business she seems to focus on the bad examples, as opposed to the vast majority who have been successful, invested their own money, paid their taxes and contributed to the economy. They are the economy. without them, the country collapses.

“We really need Theresa May to do a reset on her position and I know my views on this are supported in the party.”

Other senior business figures underlined the message that a change of tack from the Tories towards business was overdue after protracted in-fighting over Brexit.

Chris Grigg, chief executive of landlord British Land, said: “The Conservative party has been quite inwardly focused around Brexit recently, and that has come at the cost of their more traditional focus on business. 

“Whatever you think about Brexit, it is clear that it is going to put pressure on companies which have millions of staff in the UK and a choice over how they invest and allocate resources. But when businesses make those observations they have often come in for significant criticism.”

Ian Sutcliffe, the head of housebuilder Countryside Properties, added: “The thing that business requires is policy and direction and an agenda that focuses on the country, not just Brexit. It is over two years now since we had the referendum and the corridors of Westminster have been obsessed with the Brexit issue.”

Chris Pullen, chief executive of Staffline, the UK’s biggest provider of apprentice levy training, welcomed the overhaul. “It’s good the Government recognises it’s had a slow start and is going to make it more fit for purpose.” 

Helen Brocklebank, boss of luxury goods body Walpole, added: “I find it astonishing that Philip Hammond seems to be the lone pro-business voice in the Brexit wilderness. Business is the only thing that will get us out of the fix we find ourselves in.”

Brent Hoberman, executive chairman of technology investor Founders Factory, said: “I am very much hoping they now see business and entrepreneurship is central to what the country needs. They are Tories after all.”
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London bridge sealed off and man arrested after 'suspicious package' found on bus

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A London bridge was sealed off and a man has been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat as a suspicious package was found on a bus.

Traffic and pedestrians were blocked from crossing Kew Bridge in west London as police descended on the scene on Monday evening. 

Worried residents took to social media to share dramatic images as officers swarmed on the bridge, in Kew Road, at about 7.30pm.

Penny Burningham wrote on Twitter: “Kew Bridge Closed at 8pm tonight. It looks like a fire under the bridge Kew Side!"

A man was detained near the bridge. He was arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat and remained in custody overnight.

The package was investigated and found to be non-suspicious, Scotland Yard said.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Officers attended and the package was assessed and deemed non-suspicious.

“A man was detained by police near the scene and arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat. 

“He is currently in custody at a west London police station.”

Boris Johnson 'would delay Brexit by six months' if topples Theresa May to become leader'

Political reporter(wp/es):

Boris Johnson has said he would delay Brexit by at least six months if he topples Theresa May to become Prime Minister, according to reports last night.

It comes as the former foreign secretary prepares deliver an eagerly-anticipated speech at the Conservative conference that his supporters hope will pave way for a leadership bid.

Mr Johnson told senior Tories of his plans to delay the UK’s exit from the bloc if his bid to be Prime Minister is successful, the Sun reported on Monday.

He reportedly said the pause would be used to reset stalled negotiations with the European Union, according to the newspaper.

In his speech at the Tory conference in Birmingham today, Mr Johnson will call on Mrs May to “chuck Chequers” after he earlier controversially described the plan as “deranged”.

Mr Johnson will also use his speech to issue a clarion call to activists to "believe in Conservative values".

In what will undoubtedly be seen as a pitch to replace Mrs May, he will not only restate his opposition to the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit but call on Tories to focus on law and order, tax cuts and house-building in order to defeat Labour.

His call for Tories to stick to their tax-cutting guns will come as a rebuke to Chancellor Philip Hammond, who has openly admitted taxes will rise to help pay for the £20 billion spending boost promised to the NHS.

The Tory gathering is becoming a grudge match between the former foreign secretary and the Chancellor, who launched a savage assault on Mr Johnson in a series of interviews.

Mr Hammond mocked his former Cabinet colleague by mimicking his style of speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, in which he predicted that Johnson will never become Prime Minister.

Accusing Mr Johnson of lacking the attention to detail to succeed in "grown-up politics", he dismissed the "super-Canada" Brexit deal favoured by the former foreign secretary as a "fantasy world" plan.

Extracts released ahead of Mr Johnson's speech to a fringe meeting suggest he will present himself as ready to stand up for Tory values and lead a fight against Jeremy Corbyn's Labour.

In what may be seen as a swipe at Mrs May's focus on righting "burning injustices" in society, he will urge the party not to "ape Corbyn" but to "take basic conservative ideas and fit them to the problems of today".

Speaking at a fringe meeting hosted by the ConservativeHome website, Mr Johnson will say: "We must on no account follow Corbyn, and start to treat capitalism as a kind of boo word.

"We can't lose our faith in competition and choice and markets but we should restate the truth that there is simply no other system that is so miraculously successful in satisfying human wants and needs.

"We should set our taxes to stimulate investment and growth. We should be constantly aiming not to increase but to cut taxes.

"It is the conservative approach that gets things done, so let's follow our conservative instincts."

Attacking Mr Corbyn's leader's speech to Labour's conference in Liverpool last week, Mr Johnson will say: "It was astonishing that he had absolutely nothing to say about the wealth-creating sector of the economy - the people who get up at the crack of dawn to prepare their shops, the grafters and the grifters, the innovators, the entrepreneurs - he didn't mention any successes.

"We Conservatives know that it is only a strong private sector economy that can pay for superb public services and that is the central symmetry of our one nation Toryism."

Mr Johnson will pay only a flying one-day visit to a conference which has witnessed open warfare within the Tory party over Brexit, which critics say he has done nothing to calm.

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Chequers blueprint would deliver Brexit 'deal dividend' to economy

Political reporter(wp/es):
Philip Hammond led attempts today to rescue the Prime Minister’s much-criticised Chequers blueprint by saying it would deliver an immediate “deal dividend” to the economy.

The Chancellor also pledged to intervene with spending “firepower” to prop up the economy in the event of a  no-deal Brexit

His speech to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham came as senior ministers desperately tried to head off an attempt by Boris Johnson to hijack the rally when he arrives tomorrow.

Today three Brexit-backers in the Cabinet moved to block Mr Johnson from ousting Theresa May by issuing their own pleas for unity behind the Prime Minister and her Brexit proposals.

Mr Hammond told the hall that thousands of jobs depend on keeping up “friction-free” trade in goods. “That is why I share the Prime Minister’s determination to get the Chequers plan agreed,” he said. “A plan which  delivers on the decision of the British people.” Mr Hammond went on to give an impassioned call for unity in the “complex” Brexit process and afterwards on a programme to deliver on domestic concerns among the population.

“So over the next few weeks we must stand together, four-square behind the PM, to get the best possible outcome for Britain,” he said. 

Mr Hammond promised that he would intervene if Britain had to crash out of the EU without a deal, an outcome many Tory Rightwingers say they prefer. “Be in no doubt that I will maintain enough fiscal firepower to support our economy if that happens,” he said.

But he said Chequers would make Britons feel instantly better off. “I’m going to stick my neck out here today and make a prediction to you, that when the Prime Minister gets a deal agreed there will be a boost to our economic growth — a ‘deal dividend’.”

Mr Hammond also warned international business giants dodging taxes that the UK is ready to introduce a digital services tax without the backing of other countries. 

“The best way to tax international companies is through international agreements,” he said. “But the time for talking is coming to an end … and the stalling has to stop. If we cannot reach agreement … the UK will go it alone with a digital services tax of its own.” 

Mr Hammond hit back at Brexiteer claims he is not patriotic enough. “Like everyone in this room, I love this country,” he said. “All of us are patriots, all of us are on the same side when it comes to our national interest, the side that stands up for Britain.”

Three Cabinet ministers who stood with Mr Johnson in the Leave campaign before the 2016 referendum backed up Mr Hammond’s defence of the Chequers blueprint this morning.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said: “To rise to this challenge, we’ll need some unity of purpose. And I believe we’re at our best when we work together to forge something bigger than the sum of our parts, as a government, as a party and as a country.”

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, who was at one stage thought to be considering her position over Chequers, tweeted support for Mr Hammond’s speech “calling for unity to deliver the best Brexit possible”.

In his own speech to the hall, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We need to be clear that under Theresa May this country will not accept a deal that is bad for Britain or one that is bad for the union that is the United Kingdom. So that is why we are backing our Prime Minister.”

Earlier Mr Hammond mocked Mr  Johnson’s favoured Brexit involving a Canada-style trade deal as a “fantasy world. The Chancellor said there was no chance of the EU signing up to an agreement that would cause a hard border with Northern Ireland.

He also stepped up attacks on Mr Johnson’s suitability to become prime minister, deriding him as a “big picture” politician who was good at “flamboyant” statements but had no grasp of detail.

A figure close to Mrs May said of Mr Johnson: “It’s the last throw of the dice. He’s going a bit deranged.”

Mr Johnson appeared to hit back with some gentle mockery of his own, allowing himself to be photographed jogging through a field. The images seemed to make fun of Theresa May’s much-mocked claim in the 2017 election campaign that running through a field of wheat as a child was the naughtiest thing she had ever done.
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Teen girls in Britain are some of the heaviest drinkers in Europe, report suggests

Health Reporter(wp/es):

Teenage girls in Britain are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe, World Health Organisation research suggests.

Those aged 15 in Wales were the second only to Denmark in terms of being most likely out of the 36 European nations to have been intoxicated at least twice in their lifetime, according to the statistics from 2014.

In Wales, 33.6 per cent of females that age said they had been under the influence of alcohol two times or more.

Scotland took fourth spot, with 32.9 per cent reporting so and England came in six, with a figure of 30.9 per cent.  

Teenage girls in Britain were also recorded as more likely to drink than boys of their age now as well, The Telegraph reported.

The country with the least prevalence of drinking amongst 15-year-old girls was Israel, at 5.4 per cent.

After issuing the report, which compared drinking habits between 2002 and 2014, Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, World Health Organisation regional director for Europe, said: “Young people are regular drinkers at an age where they should not be drinking at all.

“As we know that any alcohol consumption at this critical developmental stage in life is especially harmful, policy-makers have a responsibility to implement the measures we know are effective, such as limiting access, enforcing age checks and restricting any type of alcohol marketing, including digital marketing.”

However, despite these figures regarding adolescents still being seen as a concern, the report does show that overall drinking amongst them in Europe has fallen since 2002.

But the research, which has been led by the University of St Andrews, still shows excessive drinking is still common.

Dr Jo Inchley, lead editor of the report, said “Overall reductions in harmful drinking have been greatest in countries that traditionally have had higher prevalence, such as Great Britain and the Nordic region.

“This makes it clear that change is possible; however, more should be done to ensure that adolescents are effectively protected from the harms caused by alcohol”.

In 2014, some 28 per cent of 15-year-olds stated they began to drink at age 13, which was down from 46 per cent who said the same in 2002.

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Family speaks of shock after mother and daughter stabbed to death in quiet village in Kent

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A family has spoken of their shock after a mother and daughter were stabbed to death in a quiet village.

Margaret Harris, in her 70s, and her daughter Sharon, in her 50s, died at their home in Hadlow, Kent, on Saturday.

Mrs Harris’ sister, Doris Pope said on Sunday: "We are just too shocked and haven't quite come to terms with it."

She said it was a "relief" to learn a suspect was due to appear in court accused of the attack.

Neighbour Jack Ralph, 28, has been charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder. He will appear in court on Monday.

Mrs Harris' husband David, aged in his 70s, was also stabbed in the incident, which happened at about 7.30am. He suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital.

Neighbours described the incident as "truly horrific" and something which had "rocked" the "quiet and friendly" village near Tonbridge.

Margaret Maile, 63, said: " My son phoned me and told me Sharon and Margaret had died. I didn't know them well, they were quiet but pleasant. We would see them to say good morning to.

"They've lived here longer than us and we've been here 32 years.

"It's very sad, you just don't expect something like this to happen here."

Nigel Keogh, a 51-year-old plasterer who lives across the street, described Mr and Mrs Harris as a "nice couple", adding: "They kept themselves to themselves.

"They own a big campervan and would go out on trips in it."

Ralph has been remanded in custody and will appear via video link at Medway Magistrates' Court on Monday.

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Man, 46, has acid thrown on him by 'masked attackers' while he waited for a take-away in his car

Pic:Mr Glover-Johnson said he was attacked while waiting in his car (facebook image)
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A 46-year-old man who had acid thrown onto his face while he sat in his car has said he can’t “make sense” of why he was attacked.

Mike Glover-Johnson was sat in his car on a busy high street, near Walsall, while his husband was in a take-away collecting food, before the vicious attack took place at about 6.50pm.

Mr Glover-Johnson has claimed he was attacked at random by masked suspects.

He told the Sun: “I was sitting in my car, on my phone, when this guy opened the door and said ‘Don’t move’.

“Then I felt this burning on my face. They just ran off and I think they got in their car.”

He added: “My brain is trying to make sense of it all”.

Mr Glover-Johnson said the suspected attackers made off on foot afterward, while he tried to take down details of their licence plate.

He then stumbled into the takeaway, Chunky Grill, to tell his husband, Lee, what had happened. Mr Glover-Johnson was then hosed down with water.

Lee told MirrorOnline: “Doctors were saying he was lucky because when it happened he closed his eyes and he kept them closed.

"We got as much water as we could on his face.

"The doctor said there shouldn't be any lasting damage ,that was something Mike was really worried about, he thought he might lose his sight."

Police have launched an investigation and are keeping an “open mind” as to what a motive may have been.

In a statement, West Midlands Police said: “Police are investigating an incident in which a corrosive substance was thrown at a man on High Street in Bloxwich this evening (30 September).

“The man, who is in his 40s, was sitting in his car at around 6.50pm when he felt something thrown in his face.

“He has been taken to hospital with injuries to his face.

“The investigation is at an early stage, the motive is unknown and police are keeping an open mind.

“A number of enquiries are underway, including a CCTV trawl, officers are also trying to identify what the substance was.

“At this stage officers believe this to be an isolated incident.

“Police are appealing to anyone who saw anything or who may have information to contact West Midlands Police on 101 quoting log number 2177 30/9”
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