DEBATE: Is John Major correct that we need a cross-party government to steer the UK through Brexit? April 2, 2019 Is John Major correct that we need a cross-party government to steer the UK through Brexit? YES, says Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction. In the best-case scenario, a “strong and stable” government with a majority, clear priorities, and an overarching strategy would be leading the way on delivering Brexit. Instead, we have a shambolic [...]
Wizz Air flies past airline gloom with upbeat profit predictions April 2, 2019 Ftse 250 airline Wizz Air said it expects net profit for the year to land in the upper half of its expected guidance, in a trading update today. The announcement follows a gloomy update yesterday from fellow low cost airline Easyjet which led to a nearly 10 per cent dip in its share price, and [...]
Deadlocked MPs reject soft Brexit as Tory MP quits party in protest April 2, 2019 Parliament last night failed once again to back an alternative Brexit plan, just 11 days before the UK is set to leave the EU. Read more: UK service exports fall as Brexit and global economic slowdown bite None of the options voted on by MPs secured a Commons majority, although a call for the UK [...]
MPs call for full breakup of audit’s Big Four in wake of scandals April 2, 2019 MPs have triggered a war of words in the City after calling for a radical breakup of accountancy’s Big Four firms. A highly-anticipated report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) Committee, released today, said the audit and consultancy arms of Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC should be forcibly divided to drive up competition [...]
Service exports fall as Brexit and global economic slowdown hurt UK companies April 2, 2019 Growth in UK service export sales slumped to its weakest rate since 2009 in the first quarter of the year, a major survey revealed today, as political uncertainty and a global slowdown weighed on firms’ activities. The balance of firms reporting improved cashflow slid into negative territory for the first time since 2012 as key [...]
More than a quarter of investment bankers say work is damaging their health in ‘disturbing’ review findings April 2, 2019 More than a quarter of investment bankers said their work was damaging their health as the “disturbing” findings of a survey revealed efforts to improve workplace culture have stalled. The Banking Standards Board have raised concerns today over the wellbeing of bank employees in its latest annual review. The survey of more than 72,000 employees from [...]
Brexit deadlock continues as parliament fails to find majority on indicative votes April 1, 2019 MPs have again failed to find a clear majority on a series of indicative votes on how to proceed with Brexit negotiations. Theresa May’s cabinet will meet in the morning to consider the results of the evening’s votes. The closest result came on Conservative MP Ken Clarke's amendment which would have required the UK to negotiate [...]
The cheek of it: Climate activists strip off in protest in House of Commons as Brexit debate rages on April 1, 2019 Cracks in the House of Commons were laid bare today by something other than MPs arguing over Brexit, as 12 protesters stripped off in the public viewing gallery. Politicians were shocked as semi-naked protesters glued their hands to the glass partition above the debate, resulting in their eventual arrest. Read more: Climate change activists Extinction Rebellion [...]
Euribor rate-rigging trial delivers the fraud office a much-needed win April 1, 2019 The convictions of two former Barclays bankers in the Serious Fraud Office’s long and protracted probe into Euribor manipulation will inject a new sense of purpose into an agency weary from a string of defeats and climbdowns. Today Carlo Palombo and Colin Bermingham were sentenced to a combined nine years in prison for their role in [...]
The Matrix was released 20 years ago – how close are we to the film’s vision of a tech dystopia? April 1, 2019 The Matrix first premiered in US cinemas yesterday 20 years ago. It revolutionised the way that we viewed the potential power of machines, and simultaneously marked the dawning of an age of suspicion and fear surrounding our relationship with technology. Yet far from the apocalyptic fears of artificial intelligence (AI), the applications of this emerging [...]