Osborne looks to carve out a post-Treasury role December 14, 2016 Days after losing his job as chancellor, George Osborne spoke to a City audience in the Guildhall. He was delivering the annual Thatcher Lecture and set out the areas that he felt defined his legacy: economic recovery, the Northern Powerhouse and the pursuit of social reform. He also took the opportunity to reassert a belief [...]
A fairy tale of the future: How Brexit transformed Britain… into Germany December 14, 2016 When Britain voted to leave the European Union, few people expected it would result in the UK becoming more like Germany, the country that runs the show. But that’s what ended up happening, and it was in 2017 that the process really began. Industrial strategy was the first step. Theresa May’s government decided that Britain’s [...]
Forget “post-truth”: A compelling vision drove Brexit and Trump triumphs December 14, 2016 The buzz-phrase of the moment in political discussion is “post-truth”. Shell-shocked metropolitan liberals are astonished by both Brexit and Donald Trump’s success. How could their own rational analysis not find favour with the electorate? People in the internet age must be no longer capable of recognising the truth. Both the Brexiteers and Trump certainly created [...]
Holdout Remainers’ “delay and pray” strategy is wishing the UK economic harm December 14, 2016 The strategy is perfectly clear. In fact, it has even been written down and elucidated on broadcast media for us. Jolyon Maugham QC (who is seeking to bring a case in the Irish courts questioning the revocability of triggering Article 50) and other hold-out Remainers are now looking to prevent Brexit by making Britain’s negotiating [...]
As MPs debate the idea, should Britain create its own Sovereign Wealth Fund? December 14, 2016 John Penrose, Conservative MP for Weston Super Mare, says Yes. Brexit gives us a once in a generation opportunity to recast the kind of country we want to be. We’ve got an unbalanced, rock-and-roll economy that’s too dependent on consumer spending and doesn’t invest enough for the future. That makes us less economically productive than [...]
Donald Trump appoints ardent oil fan Rick Perry as head of Department of Energy December 13, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rick Perry, an ardent believer in removing restrictions on oil drilling, as the head of the US Department of Energy. Perry served as governor of Texas for 14 years, during which he was a strident opponent of environmental regulation on oil production, a major part of the Texas economy. Perry [...]
Russian hacking to influence Brexit vote is “highly probable” says Labour MP Ben Bradshaw December 13, 2016 It is “highly probable” that Russian hackers attempted to influence the result of the EU referendum, according to a Labour MP. Ben Bradshaw, the MP for Exeter since 1997, told Parliament that he suspected Russian hackers had followed similar tactics to those used the US election campaign. However, he admitted that proof for his claim [...]
EU Parliament’s Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt says transitional deal must not be “eternal” December 13, 2016 A time limit is “necessary” on any transitional deal for UK businesses while the Brexit process is completed, according to the European Parliament’s chief negotiator. Guy Verhofstadt said: “I have seen many times in politics that a so-called transitional agreement becomes an eternal or definitive agreement, so that has to be avoided.” Speaking to the BBC, [...]
Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson confirmed as Donald Trump’s secretary of state but President-elect delays business interest announcement December 13, 2016 The boss of the world's biggest oil company, Exxon Mobil, has been confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state. Rex Tillerson had been widely tipped for the role as America's top diplomat, though other figures such as former CIA chief David Petraeus and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney had also been considered. Read more: Yet another [...]
Three things you need to know about Rex Tillerson December 13, 2016 Rex Tillerson is officially President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, one of the top posts in his team. After one of the favourites for the job, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliana, ruled himself out, it's now Rex W Tillerson who has been named to the job, confirming widespread speculation. Trump himself even teased the speculation [...]