EU prepared for no-deal Brexit, says Ursula von der Leyen November 25, 2020 The European Commission cannot guarantee there will be a trade agreement with Britain, EU chief executive Ursula von Der Leyen has said, adding that the bloc is now prepared for a no-deal Brexit. “The next days are going to be decisive. The European Union is well prepared for a no-deal scenario,” von der Leyen told [...]
Biden: We do not want a guarded border on Ireland November 25, 2020 US President-elect Joe Biden has said America does not want a guarded border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, following Brexit. Speaking to reporters in Delaware Biden said: “We do not want a guarded border. We’ve worked too hard to get Ireland worked out. “The idea of having the border north and south [...]
Tories call for Sadiq Khan to scrap rent control push after policy ‘failed’ in Berlin November 25, 2020 City Hall’s Conservatives are calling for Sadiq Khan to drop his rent control policy, after new analysis this week showed similar measures depleted Berlin’s supply of new flats. The new study showed the supply of rental apartments fell by 41 per cent while demand soared by 172 per cent within a year of Berlin’s rent [...]
DEBATE: Should Rishi Sunak scrap the RPI inflation measure in today’s Spending Review? November 25, 2020 Should Rishi Sunak scrap the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure in today’s Spending Review? Angus Hanton, co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation, says YES. We need to say RIP to RPI. Why? Because the use of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) is based on a flawed methodology — one which disproportionately impacts younger generations. From [...]
Breaking: Three households will be able to mix for five days over Christmas November 24, 2020 Up to three households will be able to mix indoors during a five-day Christmas relaxation of lockdown rules, UK leaders have agreed. Under new plans, members of up to three different households will be able to form an exclusive bubble between 23 and 27 December. That will not include hospitality settings, though members of three [...]
Spending review: Rishi Sunak to spend extra £4.3bn on unemployment programmes November 24, 2020 Rishi Sunak will unveil a new £2.9bn unemployment scheme and £1.4bn in extra funding for Job Centre Plus at tomorrow’s comprehensive spending review. A statement from the Treasury said Sunak’s three-year Restart scheme will help 1m people find work, with those unemployed for more than 12 months to get “regular, intensive jobs support”. In 2021-2022 [...]
Rishi Sunak’s spending review: Three things to look out for November 24, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is no stranger to the House of Commons despatch box, having delivered numerous mini-budgets since March. But tomorrow he will lay out comprehensive spending plans for the 2021-22 financial year in one of his biggest announcements yet. Although it will not cover a three-year period, as originally planned, it will show the [...]
Hancock says vaccine roll-out could mean a return to normality by Easter November 24, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock hopes the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine would signal that life could go back to “normal” by Easter. Speaking today Hancock told a joint session of the Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee: “After Easter, we think we will be getting back to normal.” At a press [...]
Retirees to be hit by inflation change in Rishi Sunak spending review November 24, 2020 Rishi Sunak is set to cost investors £100bn by announcing a change to how pensions are calculated in tomorrow’s comprehensive spending review. The Telegraph reports that Sunak is considering linking pension rises to CPI instead of the retail price index, which would mean smaller yearly increases. The change would mean that 10m retirees will receive [...]
Investor sentiment in City upbeat as Trump hints at orderly transfer of power November 24, 2020 Despite the lacklustre start to this week’s trading, investor sentiment in the City and beyond is certainly becoming much less pessimistic. This renewed push appears to have come about as a result of overnight events in the US, where Joe Biden is starting the transition process to a new US administration next year. “President Trump [...]