Former Prime Minister John Major has hit out over “unreal” expectations of Brexit February 27, 2017 Former Prime Minister John Major has blasted “unreal” predictions of the UK's future outside of the European Union. Speaking in central London, Major also accused Brexiteers of “demeaning” their former political rivals in the Remain camp by “shouting down legitimate comment”. Major campaigned for a Remain vote in the referendum, and made a series of [...]
The Conservatives’ former leader in the European Parliament has launched a stinging attack on Brexit rebels February 27, 2017 The Conservatives' former top man in the European Parliament has issued a warning against peers interfering with the Article 50 Bill just one day after former Conservative minister Lord Heseltine vowed to fight for amendments. Lord Callanan, the former chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in Brussels, has issued a stinging rebuke to [...]
A hard Brexit could be “crippling” to housebuilding in London, Sadiq Khan has warned February 27, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has warned almost a quarter of London's construction workforce is facing an uncertain future ahead of Brexit negotiations. Pressing the case for retention of skilled workers as a key priority in Brexit talks, Khan today argued the loss of London's 95,000 European construction workers would have “a seriously detrimental effect” on [...]
Don’t compare Marine Le Pen to Brexit and Trump: The Front National doesn’t have a chance February 27, 2017 The two-month countdown to the French presidential election has ushered in an air of nervousness among investors who are worried about being wrong-footed by another populist upset in Europe. The fact that Marine Le Pen, the candidate of the far-right National Front, is borrowing on familiar themes of putting France First and pledging to hold [...]
The inside story of how the London Stock Exchange’s mega merger with Deutsche Boerse was suddenly derailed by Brussels February 27, 2017 Everything seemed to be going so smoothly. Nearly a year after the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse unveiled their latest attempt to merge, many City folk gave the £21bn deal a respectable chance of success. "Better than 50 per cent," one high-profile Square Mile executive said at a lunch earlier this month. The European Commission [...]
The oldest serving MP Gerald Kaufman has died at the age of 86 February 27, 2017 The oldest serving MP Sir Gerald Kaufman has died at the age of 86. The Father of the House was a junior minister between 1974 and 1979 and held senior cabinet positions throughout the 1980s. He became the oldest serving member of the House of Commons in 2015 and became an MP in 1970. Labour leader Jeremy [...]
One in five small businesses could close or sell up after business rates hike February 27, 2017 One in five small businesses could close down or sell their business after changes to business rates shoot up in April. Many small businesses are preparing to reduce staff costs to offset the rate rises, according to a new survey from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). More than half of those surveyed (54 per cent) expect [...]
The TaxPayers’ Alliance wants business rates to be reformed February 27, 2017 The TaxPayers' Alliance has suggested that business rates are a “bad tax” and could be replaced altogether. The campaign group proposed several reforms to the current system including automating revaluations annually to avoid so-called “cliff edges” when business rates suddenly jump. Today's recommendations come as a result of the first revaluation of business rates since [...]
Government raises awareness of workers’ rights ahead of minimum wage increase February 27, 2017 The government is preparing for the upcoming increases to the national minimum wage and living wage by kicking off an awareness-raising campaign today. The new initiative aims to increase low-paid workers' understanding of their rights to fair pay, following a poll showing that workers earning less that £15,000 a year were confused about what their [...]
Embed purpose into business so that it flourishes for the benefit of all February 27, 2017 UK business is at a critical juncture. Low investment and low productivity have been compounded by perceptions that their fruits are unequally shared. The government’s recent green papers on corporate governance and industrial strategy signal a serious intent to address these problems by revitalising the productivity of business, reorienting its focus onto the long run, [...]