Growth in the UK’s economy accelerated in the build up to June’s Brexit referendum August 26, 2016 Growth of the UK economy accelerated in the three months to June, according to the latest figures. The Office for National Statistics revealed today that economic growth for Q2 was 0.6 per cent, up from 0.4 per cent on the previous quarter. Year-on-year the economy expanded 2.2 per cent. The figures mean that growth for [...]
Scrapping Hinkley Point would save taxpayers £1bn a year, according to a new report August 26, 2016 Axing plans for two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point could save UK taxpayers £1bn a year, according to a new report. Prime Minister Theresa May slammed the brakes on the project last month, despite the board of French energy giant EDF approving construction. And ahead of a final verdict from Downing Street next month, a [...]
How the latest Clinton email twist lays bare the miserable choice Americans have to make August 26, 2016 Hillary Clinton’s email scandal just can’t seem to die. Good; it shouldn’t. On Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) broke news that “more than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money – either personally or through companies or groups – to the Clinton Foundation.” [...]
We should regionalise immigration decisions – starting with a London visa August 26, 2016 Londoners voted if not resoundingly, then certainly confidently, for remaining in the EU. And in the wake of the result, a determination has emerged to assert that London is open – a statement at once defiant and optimistic, and grounded in culture as much as in economics. Around 850,000 Londoners were born in another EU [...]
The government is hoping to pounce on a post-Brexit tourism boost in the aftermath of the sterling slump August 26, 2016 Theresa May is seeking to build on a Brexit tourism boost with a £40m investment fund designed to lure visitors tempted by the slump in sterling. Towns and cities across England will benefit from new funding, with cash targeted on the UK's cultural and sporting assets. The first recipients of funding will include a coastal path project, [...]
Pharma firm Mylan boosts support for Epipen after US pricing backlash August 25, 2016 US drugmaker Mylan has promised to make its emergency allergy drug Epipen more affordable after criticism over price hikes. The cost of a standard two-pack of Epipens has risen to around $600 (£455) from $100 in 2009. The on-going debate in the US over drug pricing focused on Mylan this week after US presidential hopeful Hillary [...]
With GCSEs being graded one to nine from 2017, are these latest reforms the best way to drive up standards? August 25, 2016 Rachel Cunliffe, deputy editor of CapX, says Yes. You cannot raise academic standards simply by changing the metric, but you can signal that the spiral of grade inflation is over. A numerical system that bears little resemblance to familiar A*-G models does just that. More variations across the spectrum will help differentiate between students, while [...]
G4S has rejected a last-ditch Labour plea to provide security for the party’s conference August 25, 2016 Security firm G4S has rejected pleas from the Labour party to provide security for its conference next month, increasing the chances of the event being cancelled altogether. Labour has been seeking a provider for its annual conference – this year in Liverpool – with the Home Office warning that it could block the event if [...]
Deutsche Bank has a few ideas for Theresa May’s new industrial strategy August 25, 2016 One of the world's top investment banks has called on Theresa May to embrace a new industrial strategy and help revive British manufacturing to its former glory. Chief economists at Deutsche Bank have put together a dossier for the new Prime Minister on how she can make the most of the post-referendum opportunities, to pull [...]
EU responds to US treasury complaints over commission investigation into tax arrangements August 25, 2016 The EU has brushed off complaints from the US Treasury about its investigations into tax deals between companies like Apple and McDonald's and member states. The US Treasury published a white paper yesterday in which it attacked the EU's tax probes, arguing that they will create an "unfortunate" precedent in international tax policies and leave [...]