Theresa May won’t trigger Article 50 this week March 13, 2017 MPs and peers might approve the Article 50 Bill tonight, but Downing Street sources have revealed that Prime Minister Theresa May has no plans to launch negotiations this week. Officials have long maintained that May would begin the process by the end of March, and speculation has been rife that May could seek to trigger Article 50 [...]
Second Scottish referendum: Bookies already have betting odds on the date and result – as well as the next region to vote for independence March 13, 2017 The second Scottish referendum is odds-on to take place after 2020, bookies said today, after first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced she will seek permission to hold another independence vote. Paddy Power said it was 5/6 the vote will be held in 2020 or later, putting the chances of it happening this year at 50/1. Although [...]
Scottish referendum plans heighten the need for a Welsh vote, according to Plaid Cymru March 13, 2017 Nationalists in Wales are doubling-down on demands for their own referendum in the aftermath of Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon's call for a fresh Scottish independence vote. Earlier today Sturgeon revealed she will ask the Scottish parliament to support a new vote, to be held between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019. And now Plaid Cymru [...]
Why markets are so calm about the coming triggering of Article 50 March 13, 2017 Brexit is back and this time it looks for real. The UK government’s decision to trigger Article 50 imminently means the start of official negotiations with the European Union on the exit plan. But while financial markets remain cautious, the tension seems to be less as compared to the 23 June referendum vote. There are [...]
Second Scottish independence referendum: How five City analysts reacted to Nicola Sturgeon’s speech March 13, 2017 So there we have it: after months of fevered speculation, Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will begin the process of seeking a second Scottish independence referendum. Although it fell last week, when the rumours started in earnest, the pound barely shrugged at Sturgeon's announcement today. Here's what analysts had to say. 1. "Cocktail of uncertainty" [...]
Downing Street says a new Scottish referendum would create uncertainty “at the worst possible time” March 13, 2017 Downing Street has hit out at Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon after the Holyrood politician revealed she would next week kick off her bid for a second independence referendum. Sturgeon today said she had hit a "brick wall of intransigence" in seeking to present Scotland's Brexit fears to Westminster, and promised to seek a vote between Autumn [...]
Nicola Sturgeon announces she will seek second referendum on Scottish independence March 13, 2017 Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will seek a second referendum for Scottish independence. Sturgeon will go to MSPs next week to seek approval for a referendum between the autumn of 2018 and spring of 2019, although she said the exact timing of the referendum would be left to the Scottish parliament. The [...]
Jeremy Corbyn says a maximum wage is still being considered by Labour March 13, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has rekindled the prospect of Labour introducing a maximum salary, months after suggesting a pay ratio scheme. Speaking on the Today programme, Corbyn said Labour is consulting on the appropriate level for a pay ratio, but he added that a hard salary cap was still on the table. “On maximum pay we [...]
Time for chancellor Philip Hammond to tinker about with his National Insurance plan March 13, 2017 Philip Hammond is unlikely to have enjoyed a peaceful weekend following his debut Budget last week. The chancellor has been on the end of a daily kicking since he announced a tax rise for self-employed workers, with some Conservatives questioning whether his political judgement is strong enough to hold such a senior position. One can [...]
The UK will get a US free trade deal post-Brexit – but Donald Trump will drive a hard bargain March 13, 2017 Back in 1783, when Britain signed a trade deal with the fledgling United States as part of the Treaty of Paris which concluded the revolutionary war, the world-class British delegation was infinitely more experienced and better prepared than their novice American counterparts. Sadly, this is not the case today. Fast forward 234 years and Britain’s [...]