How are Europe’s politicians reacting to Theresa May’s big Brexit speech? January 18, 2017 After taking a night to digest Theresa May's landmark address at Lancaster House yesterday, Europe's politicians are slowly stirring to issue their own thoughts on the Prime Minister's Brexit plan. German chancellor Angela Merkel has led the way with some brief comments at a press conference with the Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. "This speech made [...]
“Privileged” Single Market access is critical for London, says Khan January 18, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan will brand "privileged" Single Market access as "critical" for the capital in his response to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit speech. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Khan will say getting a good deal on trading into the Single Market should be May's top priority in her negotiations with [...]
Sadiq Khan blames Tube strike troubles on “toxic hangover” left from Boris Johnson’s industrial relations January 18, 2017 Sadiq Khan came out swinging for his first Mayor's Question Time of the year, blaming strike troubles on "a toxic hangover" from Boris Johnson's mayoralty. The mayor has come under fire from London Assembly Conservative members for breaking his "zero days of strikes" made on his campaign trail. "What happened last week was the result [...]
HSBC boss Stuart Gulliver says jobs will be moving out of London to Paris January 18, 2017 We've already heard a lot about HSBC's plans to move jobs to France if Brexit negotiations don't go as the bank hopes. But yesterday Stuart Gulliver, the lender's chief executive, confirmed it is looking at moving jobs accounting for a hefty chunk of its revenues across the Channel. In an interview with Bloomberg at Davos, Gulliver [...]
The Brexit transition period could extend beyond the next election January 18, 2017 Post-Brexit transition measures could be in place until after the next General Election, Brexit secretary David Davis has said. Yesterday, Theresa May committed to a "phased" introduction for a new trading relationship with Europe, but today Davis stressed while such a process "won't be very long", it could last until 2021. May will launch two years [...]
The tech industry still needs clarity on Theresa May’s Brexit aims January 18, 2017 Theresa May’s speech yesterday was packed with soundbites that would give the casual listener reason to be optimistic. She intends to make Britain into a “great global trading nation” while investing in infrastructure, and said that the referendum result was a decision to go “truly global”. She used the word global 17 times in fact, [...]
May’s plan for Brexit is bold and ambitious January 18, 2017 Critics of the Prime Minister (and of the whole notion of Brexit) had clung for months to the charge that she didn't have a plan and that the government was in chaos. Yesterday, the PM shot their fox. It is, of course, still possible to oppose Brexit, but no longer possible to claim the government doesn't [...]
The nightmarish state of the public finances makes NHS reform even more urgent January 18, 2017 While Westminster was awaiting the first lines of Theresa May’s Brexit speech yesterday morning, the government’s fiscal watchdog issued a devastating judgement on the long-term health of the country’s finances. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the accelerating cost of the NHS will double the national debt relative to GDP by the middle [...]
Is giving Parliament a vote on the final Brexit deal a disaster waiting to happen? January 18, 2017 Denis MacShane, the former minister of Europe, author of Brexit: How Britain Left Europe, and senior adviser at Avisa Partners in Brussels, says Yes. The Prime Minister’s speech is just the first shot in what will be a very long two years. Right now it’s about politics. But over the next 24 months it will [...]
It’s May way or the Highway: Prime Minister Theresa May confirms UK will seek bespoke Brexit deal January 18, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her plan for life outside the Single Market yesterday, warning Brussels that she will walk away from negotiations if the EU seeks to damage the UK by blocking a free trade deal. While May’s threat sent jitters through the City, business groups were heartened to hear the PM promise [...]