Trade is a long game, so we must look beyond FTAs and make marginal gains December 3, 2018 New York and London frequently vie for the crown when it comes to the title of the world’s leading financial centre. But as well as competing, we share a special relationship. The Big Apple was the first stop on my visit last week to the United States, which came at an opportune moment as the [...]
DEBATE: Do Jerome Powell’s recent comments suggest that Trump is influencing the Fed’s policy? December 3, 2018 Do Jerome Powell’s recent comments suggest that Trump is influencing the Fed’s policy? YES, says Andy Scott, an associate director at JCRA. Since Powell assumed the role from Janet Yellen in February, the US labour market has continued to strengthen, and the economy has grown at the fastest pace in four years. As a result, Powell’s [...]
Heed Hammond’s warning: We must not be prisoners of change December 3, 2018 Britain has become a single issue nation. So all-consuming have the ins and outs of Brexit become that the national debate seems incapable of concentrating on anything else. Which was why it was so surprising when Philip Hammond spoke to a small business audience last week and didn’t drop the B-word once. In so doing, [...]
Trump says China has agreed to cut tariffs on US cars as trade thaw continues December 3, 2018 US President Donald Trump said early this morning that China has agreed to lift its tariffs on US cars. Trump tweeted: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1069441198157455360 Trump said current Chinese tariffs on US cars were 40 per cent, but he did not say how much he expected them to fall. There has been no confirmation from China at this [...]
Macron feels the heat as protests ramp up December 2, 2018 When Emmanuel Macron landed in Paris after the G20 summit in Argentina his motorcade delivered him straight to the Arc de Triomphe, where he was confronted with a vivid depiction of the anger felt by many of his citizens – and of his own place in this crisis. One of the country's most famous monuments [...]
Trump cancels new tariffs as China pledges to reduce trade gap December 2, 2018 US president Donald Trump has scrapped plans to increase tariffs on Chinese goods, in an announcement that sees the year-long US-China trade war cool considerably. The White House announced it would hold fire on raising tariffs on $200bn (£156bn) worth of goods from China. They had been scheduled to increase to 25 per cent from 1 [...]
US judge seizes laptop of app boss who leaked Facebook info to British MPs December 2, 2018 The software company co-founder who released a trove of sensitive documents about Facebook to a parliamentary committee has been ordered by a US judge to turn in his electronic devices for inspection. San Mateo County judge V. Raymond Swope ordered Ted Kramer, the founder of Six4three – a now-defunct bikini-related app company – to pass [...]
Gove says government can win Brexit vote in parliament December 2, 2018 Environment secretary Michael Gove, a key ally of the Prime Minister, said he believes Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement will get through parliament despite signs of a growing revolt. By some estimates, over a hundred Conservative MPs are preparing to vote against May’s withdrawal agreement in parliament next week, paving the way for a crisis over how [...]
May faces contempt of parliament threat from Labour as Brexit legal advice leaks December 2, 2018 Theresa May is facing one of the greatest clashes of her premiership as MPs from across parliament contemplate accusing her of contempt of parliament over her refusal to publish legal advice she has received on Brexit. MPs may move against the Prime Minister tomorrow, with figures from the DUP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP planning [...]
Shadow cabinet minister Kate Osamor resigns after alleged journalist threat December 1, 2018 Kate Osamor resigned today as secretary of state for international development, she announced on Twitter. Last night Osamor allegedly threatened a journalist who doorstepped her in relation to questions about how much she knew about her son's drugs conviction. In her statement Osamor said she had resigned "to concentrate on supporting my family through the difficult time we have [...]