EU referendum: Citi says Brexit is 10 per cent more likely after mayor of London Boris Johnson backed Brexit February 22, 2016 Has London mayor Boris Johnson boosted the likelihood that Britain will leave the European Union? Analysts at the US investment bank Citi think so. In a note sent to clients today, Michael Saunders, head of European economics at Citi, and Tina Fordham, the bank's chief global political analyst, said they estimated the chances of the UK leaving [...]
EU referendum: Leaving the EU is a “big gamble” for the UK’s security, warns defence secretary Michael Fallon ahead of Cameron’s House of Commons statement February 22, 2016 If the UK votes to leave the EU it will be a "big gamble" for the UK's security, defence secretary Michael Fallon has warned. Speaking to the BBC, Fallon claimed that the "collective weight" of partnerships, including the EU, makes it easier to deal with global threats. "At the moment our defence and security rests [...]
Treasury Select Committee raises red flags after emails reveal Treasury meddling with Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) February 22, 2016 An influential group of MPs have today raised red flags over the independence of the government’s statistics watchdog, after multiple emails revealed that Treasury officials requested changes to descriptive text accompanying official forecasts. The Treasury Select Committee said in a new report out today that the emails “raise concerns about the terms of engagement” between the Office [...]
EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson faces tough questions from London Assembly over his decision to back Brexit February 22, 2016 London mayor Boris Johnson came under fire at Mayor's Question Time this morning at City Hall, as members of the London Assembly slammed his decision to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. Assembly members used a session set up to scrutinise Johnson's final budget as mayor to question him on his backing of Brexit, instead. Len Duvall, [...]
EU referendum and Brexit explained: Who is “in” and who is “out”, the main issues including immigration and trade, when the vote is scheduled and why it’s important February 22, 2016 To Brexit or not to Brexit? That is the question. But what is a Brexit and why should you care about it? Here's everything you need to know about the EU referendum. What is Brexit? Brexit refers to Britain's exit from the European Union. It's not the only portmanteau of this kind, with Grexit having preceded [...]
EU referendum: Lord Sugar backs Remain camp over Brexit February 22, 2016 Lord Sugar has come out as being in. He's known for being straight to the point, so it's no surprise that The Apprentice host summed up his stance on the EU referendum in one word. in https://t.co/rPmbXHyq0o — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) February 21, 2016 The Remain camp will be thanking its lucky stars to have a high [...]
EU referendum: Full text of letter signed by FTSE 100 bosses backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s reform efforts is leaked February 22, 2016 It was first reported over the weekend that up to half of Britain's biggest businesses will voice their support for Prime Minister David Cameron's campaign to keep the UK in the European Union by putting their names to an open letter backing the reforms Cameron secured in Brussels last week. Now it looks like the full text [...]
EU referendum: Here’s how each MP will vote in June – mapped February 22, 2016 How will your local MP vote in the EU referendum? You might be undecided, but politicians are not. London mayor Boris Johnson and the Conservative candidate to replace him, Zac Goldsmith are among the high-profile names to have now aligned themselves with a side. But many MPs not in the spotlight have also come out to show [...]
EU referendum: We should be very wary of apocalyptic predictions about Brexit, such as those from CitiBank and Goldman Sachs February 22, 2016 In the past few weeks, banks including CitiBank and Goldman Sachs have come out in what is seemingly a coordinated effort to ignite a wave of fear about what Brexit might mean for the UK economy. Unfortunately, the assumptions underpinning their statements are highly selective to the extent that we could be forgiven for thinking they [...]
Budget 2016: Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle to say the government has been asleep at the wheel February 22, 2016 The UK domestic economy is insufficiently resilient to advancing global threats and not in a high-enough state of readiness to seize on fast-approaching opportunities, the shadow business secretary Angela Eagle will say today. Speaking at the London Stock Exchange ahead of the Budget, Eagle will warn that there are a number of areas where the [...]