Theresa May is guaranteeing businesses a “phased” move into Brexit January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to avoid a "cliff-edge" transition to Brexit, while stressing she hopes to have reached a deal within the two year Article 50 process. May has said she will begin Brexit talks by the end of March, and speaking at Lancaster house today, she reiterated that the government does not [...]
Theresa May guarantees parliament a vote on the final Brexit deal January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has promised that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords will be granted a vote on a final Brexit deal. Speaking at Lancaster House today, May said Parliament would be asked to approve the final terms of her negotiations with the European Union. Branding the move an effort to provide "certainty", [...]
Theresa May: The UK “cannot” remain a Single Market member January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond have both said the UK will terminate its membership of the Single Market. Hammond revealed the UK would look for a "quick and simple" and "ambitious agenda for a comprehensive free-trade agreement" in the House of Commons, while May's landmark address at Lancaster House said the UK "cannot" remain a [...]
Xi Jinping in Davos: “No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war.” January 17, 2017 Chinese president Xi Jinping used his first appearance at the World Economic Forum to mount a robust defence of globalisation. “It is the result of growing social productivity and is the natural outcome of scientific and technological advances”, Xi said in the forum’s Opening Plenary. “It is not something created by any individuals or any [...]
National Audit Office: Concentrix £1bn tax credit outsourcing delivered savings of less than a fifth than was expected January 17, 2017 A catalogue of errors in relation to outsourcing tax credits has been laid bare in a damning report by the public spending watchdog. Highlighting a series of shortcomings, the National Audit Office (NAO) today released its findings into HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC) controversial outsourcing arrangement with Concentrix. HMRC estimated £1bn of savings could be [...]
Why Davos elites should invite the populists to the table January 17, 2017 The year has barely kicked off and 2017’s biggest business get-together, held in the Swiss mountain resort town of Davos, has already begun. And, this year, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting is headlining under the theme of “Responsive Leadership”. This theme leaves plenty of room for interpretation and imagination. My sense of what best [...]
Donald Trump’s business meddling: Crony capitalism to a Tea January 17, 2017 To understand why many large businesses and pro-market US policy wonks are anxious about a Donald Trump presidency, one has to understand the lessons of the Tea Party. No, not the recent grassroots phenomenon caricatured in the UK media. I’m talking about the Boston Tea Party of 1773 – in which American colonists, belonging to [...]
Theresa May vows to turn Britain into “a great global trading nation” January 17, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May will today vow to make Britain “a great global trading nation” in an eagerly-awaited landmark speech on Brexit. Speaking at Lancaster House later today, May will set out 12 key negotiating objectives for the UK, underpinned by promises to provide certainty and clarity, and to create a stronger, fairer and more [...]
Hard Brexit will need longer transition for businesses, City policy chief warns January 16, 2017 The Square Mile will need a longer transition if Theresa May pursues a so-called Hard Brexit, City policy chairman Mark Boleat has warned. Delivering a lecture at King’s College, Boleat said that any deal with the EU must include time for business to adapt. However, he added that the nature of the deal is more important than [...]