After four years of politics and prevarication, Brexit is about to become a test of competence rather than conviction. And the heart of the government’s effort to meet it is a Portakabin in a lorry park in Ashford, Kent. It’s one of 45 sites around the country where agents patiently attempt to brief hauliers on
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Government secrecy over its new border operating system is hindering the country’s Brexit preparations, according to haulage industry bosses who labelled the process a “complete shambles”. In a letter seen exclusively by Sky News, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has warned Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove that delays in sharing the new IT software with
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is setting out government spending plans and latest economic forecasts. Here are the main points: £18bn allocated to testing, PPE and vaccines and £3bn for the NHS plus over £2bn for transport arteries open How will the spending review affect you and the country? Sky’s economics editor Ed Conway will answer your
Rishi Sunak must not try to raise taxes in this parliament, the leader of the group of northern Tory MPs has told Sky News. When the chancellor delivers his spending review later, he will also unveil a set of dire forecasts, These are likely to show the lowest growth for 300 years, with a long-term
The EU’s aviation regulator has revealed plans to approve the return of 737 MAX to Europe’s skies within weeks. EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) has published a proposed airworthiness directive for the aircraft, which has been grounded since March last year after two fatal crashes. The agency is launching a 28-day consultation and
Travellers who arrive in England from countries with high infection rates will be able to shorten their quarantine from 14 days to five if they test negative for coronavirus on the fifth day, the Department of Transport has said. Passengers will have to pay for the tests themselves, and will need to book with one
England’s second national lockdown will be lifted on 2 December when a revised three-tiered system of restrictions will allow shops, gyms and hairdressers to reopen across the country. The prime minister’s “stay at home” instruction to the country will end a week on Wednesday, following a month of tougher national instructions. Under his 56-page COVID
Boris Johnson is hoping to lace his latest COVID crackdown with more good cheer, having saved Christmas by allowing families to meet in a festive bubble. He is unveiling a new blueprint to fight the pandemic that he hopes will not only save lives during the winter but also prevent a Commons revolt by rebel
A former chairman of Centrica is being lined up to lead the AA by the consortium which hopes to agree a £3bn takeover of Britain’s biggest roadside recovery service this week. Sky News has learnt that Rick Haythornthwaite has been approached by Towerbrook Capital Partners and Warburg Pincus about chairing the AA if their joint
The last nine months have been dominated by the health emergency of coronavirus. We’ve stocked up on hand sanitiser and searched for the most comfortable face mask. We’ve become so horribly familiar with the weekly choreography that we know which days of the week have the highest death tolls and when to expect a news
Crossrail, London’s long-delayed £19bn east-to-west rail link, faces being “mothballed” without the release of urgent new government funding, the capital’s transport chief has warned ministers. Sky News has learnt that Andy Byford, the London transport commissioner, wrote to the permanent secretary at the Department for Transport (DfT) this week, seeking £80m of immediate support to
Confidential notes seen by Sky News reveal European Union officials think a Brexit deal is 95% agreed – but show the extent of anxiety over the potential impact if negotiations break down. The notes come from a meeting of the most senior diplomats in Brussels on Friday morning, when they were briefed about the state
Britain’s biggest airport is to furlough its entire senior management team apart from its chief executive and pave the way for more permanent job losses, underlining its pessimism about the aviation industry’s short-term recovery prospects. Sky News has seen emails sent by Heathrow executives on Friday which detail plans for a new voluntary redundancy scheme
UK households are expected to have spent £6,600 less this year after the pandemic slashed demand for holidays, eating out and transport, according to new research. In total, consumer spending for 2020 is on course to be £183.6bn, or 14.9%, lower in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to consumer analysts Mintel. Bucking the
Marks & Spencer is planning to open most of its stores until midnight in the run-up to Christmas to allow shoppers and staff “the time and space they need to social distance”. M&S said the three days from December 21-23, expected to be its busiest days, would see its “longest ever store opening hours”. It
Businesses should be given at least seven days’ notice of the government’s lockdown exit plan so they can prepare for the key Christmas trading period, the CBI has said. The lobby group said firms will need time to activate supply chains and call in staff ahead of the expected reopening in England on 3 December. Notice