This is how the business community has reacted to the Queen’s Speech May 18, 2016 Business groups welcomed measures in the Queen’s Speech today while urging the government to push on with big decisions after the EU referendum, but clashed over broadband. The Queen’s Speech was announced as a “one nation” effort by Prime Minister David Cameron, and was set around three principles – the economy, increasing chances for the disadvantaged [...]
Parliament’s BHS inquiries: Everything you need to know May 18, 2016 Two parliamentary committees will come together for a second time next week as part of an ongoing investigation into the collapse of BHS. The Work and Pensions select committee and the Business Innovation and Skills select committee held a joint hearing last week, grilling the chief executives of the Pension Protection Fund and The Pensions Regulator over the [...]
EU referendum: Left Leave campaign rally tonight in Euston May 18, 2016 While the Labour party officially backs remaining in the EU, some on the left are less than impressed by the UK's membership. In that vein, a rally is being held tonight in Euston with a range of speakers who aim to put forward an internationalist argument against the EU. The meeting will be start at [...]
Pound soars against the dollar as Remain takes 18-point lead in new opinion poll May 18, 2016 The pound has shot up against the dollar after a new opinion poll showed the Remain side could be soaring ahead as the EU referendum campaign enters its final five weeks. In a new Ipsos Mori poll for the Evening Standard, released this afternoon, 55 per cent of voters said they were in favour of staying in [...]
The Queen’s Speech 2016: Here’s everything announced today May 18, 2016 Today's Queen's Speech was announced as a “one nation” effort by Prime Minister David Cameron, and was set around three principles – the economy, increasing chances for the disadvantaged and security. The economy – digital, transport, planning and jobs The Queen laid out plans to modernise Britain's climate for business through a Digital Economy Bill, [...]
EU referendum: What Brexit means for the mid-market May 18, 2016 A vote in favour of Brexit presents many challenges to business but the mid-market, niche by nature and agile by necessity, is well placed to adapt. Indeed, it is fundamental that it does so: mid-sized businesses are only going to increase in their importance to the overall economy, forecast to be the fastest growing segment [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gives backing to Garden Bridge but adds key demands May 18, 2016 Sadiq Khan has given his backing to the Garden Bridge, but with some heavy caveats. Khan has demanded that the bridge is made more accessible for Londoners in return for his support. The mayor described the Garden Bridge as a project that could rival New York’s High Line, a public park that was built on a [...]
Lord Michael Heseltine says Johnson’s remarks could have ruined his chances of being PM May 18, 2016 Boris Johnson may have scuppered his chances of becoming the Prime Minister after making "obscene political remarks" during the referendum campaign, a Tory grandee has said. Lord Michael Heseltine said that the former London mayor had behaved "irresponsibly" and "recklessly", adding he would be completely surprised if Johnson now led the country. The comments by [...]
Britain sucked toward billion pound innovation funding Brexit black hole May 18, 2016 British business faces a billion pound funding black hole for research and development that risks leaving the nation trailing behind the rest of Europe when it comes to creating world leading technological and scientific innovation. More than a fifth of the UK’s £8bn competitive R&D funding in the last decade has come from Europe, but that [...]
How Brexit will hit investment portfolios: What (little) we know so far May 18, 2016 The Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund both issued stark warnings last week about the EU referendum and the potential impact of Brexit. In a report, the IMF said that a Leave vote could have a “negative and substantial” long-run effect on UK output and incomes. Later, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde added [...]