Let Nicola Sturgeon have her referendum – and find out that a Hard Brexit is better than a Hard Independence October 17, 2016 It could not have been staged better. Like a general on the battlefield making a final appeal to her troops, Nicola Sturgeon’s use of the SNP’s annual conference to announce the publication of a draft bill to pave the way for Indy Ref Two could not be matched. The legions cheered, ready to go over the top [...]
As Mark Carney warns of troubles ahead, should the Bank of England tolerate rising inflation? October 17, 2016 Scott Corfe, associate director at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes. Inflation will rise next year, and it is likely to rise sharply as sterling’s remarkable decline feeds through into higher import costs. CPI inflation of 3 per cent is well within the realms of possibility and inflation of 4 per cent – [...]
Financial and professional services are our entire nation’s Crown Jewels October 14, 2016 I have spent much of the past year speaking to employees, employers and entrepreneurs from across this great country. In December I went to Northern Ireland, in March to Scotland, in July to the North of England, and last week to Bristol and Cardiff – 12 UK cities in total. After each of these trips [...]
Marmitegate: A typical story of belligerent boardrooms October 14, 2016 Marmitegate – it divided the nation. You might even say it spread fear. Either way, Tesco revealed last night that it has resolved its feud with Unilever, producer of everything from Marmite to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, after the consumer goods giant tried to impose a blanket 10 per cent price hike on its products due [...]
Wake up, policy-makers: The fintech paradigm shift could change everything October 13, 2016 Nowhere within the financial firmament does enthusiasm abound more right now than in the arena of fintech. Just as it has disrupted and revolutionised our social interactions and shopping habits, the internet is breeding new ways to cut the cost of transacting and pair those with capital with those seeking it. Peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding [...]
Higher taxes and more debt are the only alternatives to real state pension reform October 13, 2016 Engineering an exit from the European Union will be the most significant administrative challenge faced by Whitehall since the Second World War. But ministers must resist the temptation to put the public service reform agenda on the backburner. The economic uncertainty created by June’s referendum means that driving efficiency is now more important than ever. [...]
How to cut EU migration without leaving the Single Market October 13, 2016 The Tory MEP Vicky Ford has taken a major step back from the idea of closing frontiers to European citizens which still appears to be the throbbing desire of Tory-Ukip hard Brexiters. In a newspaper interview, she set out ideas for reducing inflows of European workers within EU rules. She cites Liechtenstein, which was allowed [...]
The Tories’ bold pitch for Labour voters isn’t all bad for business October 13, 2016 Businesses are often surprised by government announcements, mistaking civilised interactions with ministers and advisers for their real political intentions. Politicians might sympathise with a particular policy, but it will always be overridden by the political imperatives of the day. And so it is that many businesses have been caught off guard by the government’s shift [...]
Was the Marmite-gate row with Tesco over post-Brexit price hikes a PR disaster for Unilever? October 13, 2016 Arlo Brady, managing partner of the Brewery at Freuds, says Yes. This has been an uncomfortable few days for Unilever. A company that rightly prides itself as a world leader in corporate reputation has found itself in a bitter deadlock with the British public, withholding supplies of Marmite from the nation’s breakfast tables as it battles [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan must remember refugees and asylum seekers in his bespoke Brexit deal October 13, 2016 Earlier this week, Sadiq Khan delivered a speech to the Confederation of British Industry counselling against a "hard Brexit", in which the UK would leave the single market without privileged access for its businesses. This forms part of Khan’s concerted efforts to protect his metropolitan constituents, a very large number of whom own or are employed [...]