Juncker says progress is being made on NI border
Following a phone call with Boris Johnson yesterday afternoon, Jean-Claude Juncker released a statement last night cautiously welcoming “ positive advances” that were being made in the last-minute scrabble for a withdrawal agreement. However, the EC president said the deal was by no means done, and that there remain “problematic points that will need further work in the coming days, notably with regards to the governance of the backstop.” The EC is now examining the legal standing of the PM’s plan, which will be outlined to MPs later today.
Banks still investing heavily in fossil fuels
Analysis of the world’s 50 largest banks has shown that they invest almost twice as much in fossil fuels as they do in sustainable energy sources. In the UK, high street banks have provided at least £150bn in finance to the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Agreement was adopted three years ago.
Uber launches gig economy app
Uber has launched an app which allows it to match workers with shifts in a variety of workplaces. Work such as waiting tables, cleaning or admin work could soon be allocated and paid by the minute, thanks to the magic of technology.
North Korea tests submarine missile
Pyongyang has claimed the successful test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in advance of resumed negotiations with the United States. The UK’s SBLM system, Trident, costs an estimated £2bn a year.
Operation Matterhorn to finish on Sunday
The repatriation of more than 150,000 British holidaymakers in the wake of the collapse of Thomas Cook is expected to finish this week, with more than 5,000 people returning to the UK today.
Follow politics as it happen on the New Statesman’s Staggers blog.
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