What a summer: George Osborne’s epic fall from high office September 15, 2016 At the end of July, former Chancellor George Osborne delivered the annual Margaret Thatcher memorial lecture. Her legacy is mighty. What would his be? As he attempted to define it in front of a City audience in the magnificent Guildhall, he concluded that he had “much more to contribute to our nation's discussions in the [...]
Prime Minister Theresa May set to power up Hinkley Point September 14, 2016 The government is expected to press the button on two new nuclear reactors in Somerset as early as this week. Yesterday, reports suggested that the government has told France it has approved an £18bn plan by French company EDF to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The likely green light for the reactors is [...]
Media groups could get Google payout from EU copyright rules September 14, 2016 The European Union has proposed overhauling the trading bloc’s copyright and communications rules. Search giant Google could be especially hard hit by the rules that could mean it has to pay out for hosting or show parts of content. The proposals would grant publishers new rights to their articles, making it easier for them to [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Would a Donald Trump presidency lead to a stronger US dollar? September 14, 2016 Currency analysts have suggested a Donald Trump presidency could cause the US dollar to strengthen. A Trump victory in November's election is expected to spook investors around the world, leading to an exodus from emerging markets and into safer assets, such as the US dollar and Japanese yen, analysts at Societe Generale and Nordic bank SEB. [...]
The chancellor faces four daunting tasks in preparing his Autumn Statement September 14, 2016 Say your prayers for the chancellor of the exchequer. Most people think David Davis and Liam Fox have a tough enough job over the coming months, but Philip Hammond also faces a daunting challenge. Consider some of the questions in his in-tray: Question One: Is the UK economy slowing down? The received wisdom is that [...]
With Theresa May expected to give it the green light, is Hinkley Point just a colossal white elephant? September 14, 2016 Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group, says Yes. There is little doubt that we need more electricity generating capacity – and the sooner the better. So the government’s determination to expand capacity is welcome. But Hinkley Point is flawed. Putting aside security fears over Chinese finance behind the proposed EDF nuclear power plant, [...]
Jeremy Corbyn clashes with Theresa May over her flagship grammar schools plan September 14, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has clashed with Theresa May over her plans to push for new grammar schools, increasing the pressure on her flagship reforms. Earlier today London mayor Sadiq Khan called on May to drop to her first major policy as Prime Minister, which she has described as a key part of Britain becoming “the great meritocracy”. [...]
Labour has secured a top role in overseeing the Brexit process, with a party MP set to chair a new select committee September 14, 2016 Labour has secured a plum role in the oversight of government Brexit policy, with an MP from Jeremy Corbyn's party set to chair a new select committee on leaving the EU, following an agreement between party whips. Read More: Chuka Umunna to bid for Home Affairs committee leadership The committee will shadow David Davis' new Department [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on Theresa May to axe her school reform plans September 14, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the government to drop plans to open new grammar schools. Speaking in City Hall today, Khan rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's claims that reintroducing the schools, along with the associated testing for students, would raise standards. Instead, he warned the programme would inevitably lead to segregation. Only four per [...]
Sir James Dyson calls for the UK to leave the EU Single Market September 14, 2016 Sir James Dyson has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to take the UK out of the European Union Single Market, even if that leads to an end of free trade and free movement of labour. The intervention comes despite warnings from economists that leaving the Single Market could cost the UK billions of pounds a year. But Dyson, who had [...]