Sadiq Khan makes progress in bid to become the London mayor for business December 12, 2016 LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan is making progress in his bid to become the city’s “most pro-business mayor ever”. In a recent poll of more than 500 London businesses the proportion who saw him as pro-business remained at 39 per cent, the same as it was before his election. Yet the same poll, which was commissioned [...]
Political shocks have been a buy signal in 2016 – why not in 2017 too? December 12, 2016 It's that time of the year for financial journalists: we are being inundated with lengthy outlook reports for the coming year. My inbox is littered with ominous warnings about how 2017 will see more uncertainty, and the overwhelming theme for the year is: it’s the politics, stupid. Given the rise in populist voting in 2016, which manifested [...]
Successor to John Key is confirmed in New Zealand’s top post December 12, 2016 New Zealand has a new prime minister, with frontrunner Bill English confirmed as the person to succeed John Key after his shock resignation last week. Telling reporters he was "both excited and humbled", English announced Paula Bennett as his deputy and economic development minister Steven Joyce as the person to take over his old job [...]
Donald Trump is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in powder keg Asia December 12, 2016 Donald Trump is off to a surprisingly good start. While his enemies in the Democratic party and the American press (which is largely the same thing) froth at the mouth, enraged that their world view has been found wanting, the President-elect has assembled a thoroughly solid cabinet up to now. While there are some (to coin [...]
The City is a national asset with massive potential to address regional inequality December 12, 2016 One of the hardest parts of the lord mayor’s job is getting people to think of the financial City as more than just London. Our capital is certainly a vital part of the UK’s offer, but so are the many smaller towns and cities that lie beyond the M25 that, together, provide two thirds of the UK’s [...]
It’s Europe that will push for a conciliatory Brexit – because Britain holds all the aces December 12, 2016 A strong case can be made that the UK economy is in a unique position within the European Economic Area (EEA). Unique, because its membership is to the categorical financial benefit of all other members. Other countries gain either through exports to or via businesses located within Britain. Were the UK to be sent outside the [...]
Johnson keen to emphasise UK’s close ties with Saudi Arabia after critical comments on Yemen December 11, 2016 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson reiterated Britain's close ties to Saudi Arabia on a visit there yesterday, days after making comments seen as critical of the desert kingdom's actions in Yemen. "I'm here to emphasise the friendship that exists between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and that is something that is developing and expanding," Johnson said [...]
Four charts showing who is and isn’t prepared to be financially worse off after Brexit December 11, 2016 The majority of people are not willing to lose out on any amount of cash they have coming in each month as a result of Brexit, a new poll has found. And just one in 10 voters who backed Brexit are prepared to become poorer by more than £100 per month as a result of the negotiations, [...]
Political opposition to Murdoch takeover of Sky mounts December 10, 2016 Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, former business secretary Vince Cable and influential campaign group Hacked Off have all voiced their opposition to the possibility of a 21st Century Fox takeover of Sky. Although media analysts appear to believe the deal is unlikely to be blocked by regulators, the news has attracted a number of objections in the [...]
US intelligence agencies believe Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win presidential election December 10, 2016 US intelligence agencies have “high confidence” Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump’s chances in the US presidential election. Both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have reported the findings, citing senior US officials. Read more: Donald Trump has beaten Nigel Farage to be named Time's Person of the Year Trump’s transition team [...]