Rishi Sunak mulls plans to block suspect companies listing on stock exchange October 7, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering plans to block suspect companies from listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on national security grounds. Sunak is said to be rolling out a consultation on the details over the next few weeks, following mounting pressure from MPs who fear the stock exchange is vulnerable to foreign powers, the [...]
Investing in a greener future: How do we make the sums add up? October 7, 2020 By 2030, the UK will produce enough wind from offshore sources to power every home in the land. That was the pledge the prime minister made to the Conservative Party Conference this week, promising to turn us into the “Saudi Arabia of wind” (a subtle joke? One can never tell with Boris). Household appliances, he [...]
Forget the conventional wisdom, all investors want from the US election is a return to stability October 7, 2020 Even in the post-superpower era, US elections are the most-followed global political event for market participants. In this extraordinary year, fears of delays and legal challenges have driven volatility, while the ghosts of 2016’s polling failure undermine confidence in forecasting methods. Conspiracy theories abound: Trump’s diagnosis is a hoax, designed to boost sympathy. Or conversely, [...]
Rishi Sunak unveils plan to create England Freeports October 7, 2020 The Treasury will soon start taking bids from cities and towns in England to become Freeports next year, which will see businesses benefit from tax breaks and relaxed customs procedures. The government announced today that its selection process will begin before the end of the year and will see the first England Freeports set up [...]
England’s 10pm curfew may be scrapped as government delays vote October 6, 2020 The future of England’s 10pm curfew is in doubt, with the government being forced to delay a parliamentary vote in the face of growing backbench opposition. A group of prominent backbench Tory MPs met today to discuss the prospect of rebelling against the government and voting against confirming England’s 10pm curfew on pubs, bars and [...]
Raab: China and Russia ‘took advantage’ of Covid to break international law October 6, 2020 China and Russia have used the Covid pandemic to carry out cyber attacks and clamp down on human rights, according to foreign secretary Dominic Raab. Raab said today that the “usual suspects” of Iran, Russia and China have tried to “take advantage of the crisis”, with Beijing’s Hong Kong clamp down used as an example. [...]
EU’s top court lands major blow to UK’s chances of post-Brexit data deal October 6, 2020 The EU’s top court has ruled that unrestrained mass surveillance of phone and internet data is unlawful, in the latest blow to the UK’s chances of securing a post-Brexit data-sharing agreement with the EU. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) today handed out its much-anticipated verdict on government surveillance, ruling that the indiscriminate retention of [...]
Boris Johnson calls on the private sector to rebuild Britain after Covid October 6, 2020 Boris Johnson has vowed a complete post-Covid transformation of Britain that will be driven by the private sector and the free market. The Prime Minister’s Conservative party conference speech outlined the government’s vision of a new Britain by emphasising improved infrastructure, fixing the country’s housing shortage, investing in wind power and increasing skills for young [...]
Boris Johnson reveals plans to cut deposits in bid to boost home ownership October 6, 2020 The Prime Minister has announced plans to help millions of Britons onto the housing ladder by allowing home-hunters to buy a property with a smaller deposit. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference today Boris Johnson said he wants to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by reforming the UK’s planning system. The government is planning [...]
Rishi Sunak signals that tax hikes will be delayed for some time October 6, 2020 Rishi Sunak has signalled he will hold off on tax rises and Budget cuts until the UK’s economic recovery is further along. Sunak said today that the UK needs to balance its books “over time”, just a day after saying at his conference speech that the Tories had a “sacred responsibility to future generations to [...]