Treasury minister Jim O’Neill quits amid China and Northern Powerhouse spat September 23, 2016 Lord Jim O'Neill has resigned as a minister in Philip Hammond's Treasury team amid speculation of differences of opinion with Prime Minister Theresa May. O'Neill, a former Goldman Sachs economist who is known for coining the term BRICS (the acronym for the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), first cited problems with Prime [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan writes to Uber and other private hire drivers setting out his commitment to the industry September 23, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has written to tech firm Uber in response to its email campaign about the future of the capital's taxi and private hire industry. Transport for London (TfL) plans to introduce new rgulations for the sector including a requirement that private hire vehicles have "hire and reward" insurance in place for the duration of the licence, [...]
Far from finding it difficult to strike trade deals post-Brexit, the UK is in a prime position. Here’s why September 23, 2016 In the weeks since the referendum there has been much gnashing of the teeth over the UK’s future trade relationship with both the EU and the rest of the world. Much of the negativity expressed by commentators is exaggerated or misguided. The UK remains in a strong position, and can in fact prosper under existing [...]
With two of the worst candidates around, expect reality TV rather than a clash of ideas September 23, 2016 This election may be Hillary Clinton’s to lose, but ever-increasingly it is looking like Donald Trump’s to win. Going into the first debate next Monday, Clinton is still the favourite in the polls. The majority of top pollsters have her hovering over Trump by a few percentage points, and the electoral map still swings in [...]
With Corbyn expected to be unveiled as victor tomorrow, is this just the beginning of the Labour civil war? September 23, 2016 Jon McLeod, chairman of UK corporate, financial and public affairs at Weber Shandwick, says Yes. In the words of the Carpenters, “we’ve only just begun”. This isn’t the end of Labour’s civil war. It isn’t the beginning of the end. And it’s not even the end of the beginning. Corbyn’s pledge to “wipe the slate” with [...]
All but five EU members have more jobs linked to UK trade than vice versa September 23, 2016 All but five EU countries have more jobs dependent on British trade than vice versa, according to new figures. An analysis into the jobs market of the Eurozone has found that 22 of the 27 have more individual jobs at stake than the UK ahead of the activation of Article 50. What's more, every single [...]
Boris Johnson says the UK could complete Brexit talks inside of two years September 22, 2016 Foreign secretary Boris Johnson has suggested the UK could leave the European Union faster than anticipated. Speaking to Sky News, Johnson said Theresa May would be ready to trigger formal mechanisms to leave the EU early next year. But Johnson also said the UK would not necessarily use the entirety of the two-year window to negotiate [...]
Remain campaign advertising boss condemns Project Fear approach as M&C Saatchi reports benefit from Brexit September 22, 2016 The boss of the Remain campaign’s chosen advertising company has condemned its Project Fear approach and backed UK business to succeed after the Brexit vote. M&C Saatchi today reported 15 per cent revenue growth to £100.2m and a 19 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £11.4m in the first half of the year. It [...]
Theresa May has axed an advisory panel of some of Britain’s top bosses September 22, 2016 Theresa May has axed an advisory panel established by her predecessor to generate feedback from some of the UK's top bosses. May has scrapped the Business Advisory Group launched by David Cameron in July 2015. The news – first revealed by Sky News – comes just over a year after Cameron launched the group in the [...]
S&P downgrades EDF after UK government greenlights Hinkley Point C September 22, 2016 Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded French utility giant EDF despite the UK government giving the green light to the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. It said construction risks linked to the project are high and that the large investments associated with it will weigh on EDF's already pinched cash flow. There have long [...]