Financial services sector is a “golden goose” for tax revenue as top UK firms contribute £82.3bn December 15, 2016 The tax contribution of the largest UK companies to the economy is now £82.3bn, according to a study published today. A survey of the total tax contribution of the 100 Group shows that the amount either paid or generated by the biggest UK firms has gone up by 2.2 per cent from last year’s total [...]
Britain can Brexit in two years if politicians adopt the right can-do attitude December 15, 2016 The chancellor, along with a number of his cabinet colleagues, appears to be swinging round to the view that more than two years is going to be required for Brexit. This may be unnecessarily dangerous territory both for us and the EU 27. And it’s an unnecessarily long timetable too. When we joined the Common Market [...]
Five reasons the Anglosphere is more than just a romantic vision – but has real geopolitical teeth December 15, 2016 The Anglosphere, a concept that can trace its lineage back to Winston Churchill’s A History of the English Speaking Peoples, has received renewed interest in the wake of the Brexit referendum. The idea of the Anglosphere has been advanced in recent times by a number of historians, such as Andrew Roberts (A History of the [...]
As Trump packs his cabinet with leading executives, are business people any good at politics? December 15, 2016 Sam Bowman, executive director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Well, it’d be hard to do worse than the politicians. And Trump’s appointments make some sense. Exxon’s Rex Tillerson, in particular, is experienced at negotiating with the leaders of tinpot kleptocracies – a useful skill in a secretary of state. Mitt Romney’s business success [...]
These two top tech bosses have been named advisers to Trump December 14, 2016 Donald Trump has added top tech firepower to a group of business leaders who will advise him on economic matters. Uber boss Travis Kalanick and the entrepreneur behind Tesla and Space X, Elon Musk, have joined the President-elect's Strategic and Policy Forum which will involve meeting with the President frequently. Read more: Move over Trump and [...]
David Davis reveals Brexit plans will not be ready to be published until February at the earliest December 14, 2016 The Brexit secretary has today revealed his department's plans for the impending Brexit negotiations will not be published until February at the earliest. Speaking in front of the Exiting the European Union Committee, David Davis said he intended to publish the plans as soon as possible but added it certainly would not be before the end of [...]
Prime Minister brands Southern rail strikes “appalling” and says Corbyn could tell Aslef to call them off December 14, 2016 The Prime Minister has branded the Southern rail train strike "appalling", while suggesting Jeremy Corbyn could have a role to play in resolving the dispute. Southern passengers are facing a second day of strike chaos as talks are underway between the rail firm and drivers' union Aslef at the conciliation service Acas, to try and [...]
Osborne looks to carve out a post-Treasury role December 14, 2016 Days after losing his job as chancellor, George Osborne spoke to a City audience in the Guildhall. He was delivering the annual Thatcher Lecture and set out the areas that he felt defined his legacy: economic recovery, the Northern Powerhouse and the pursuit of social reform. He also took the opportunity to reassert a belief [...]
A fairy tale of the future: How Brexit transformed Britain… into Germany December 14, 2016 When Britain voted to leave the European Union, few people expected it would result in the UK becoming more like Germany, the country that runs the show. But that’s what ended up happening, and it was in 2017 that the process really began. Industrial strategy was the first step. Theresa May’s government decided that Britain’s [...]
Forget “post-truth”: A compelling vision drove Brexit and Trump triumphs December 14, 2016 The buzz-phrase of the moment in political discussion is “post-truth”. Shell-shocked metropolitan liberals are astonished by both Brexit and Donald Trump’s success. How could their own rational analysis not find favour with the electorate? People in the internet age must be no longer capable of recognising the truth. Both the Brexiteers and Trump certainly created [...]