John Lewis profits dive by 99% as Brexit row erupts

Retail results provoke political row as Dominic Raab criticises chain for apparently blaming BrexitThe John Lewis Partnership blamed heavy discounting by rivals and the cost of new stores and IT for a near 99% plunge in first-half profits.The results prompted the UK’s Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab, to criticise businesses for blaming poor performance on Brexit, after John Lewis said uncertainty about the outcome of EU talks was partly to blame for the expectation that profits would be &ld