Keir Starmer only halfway there on persuading business of his merits September 27, 2022 It is hard to imagine a more friendly wicket for Keir Starmer to have turned up to at Labour conference. A party broadly united behind him, and a government that (fairly or unfairly) is being blamed left, right and centre for precipitating a currency crisis and a drastic increase in the value of borrowing. We [...]
Bank of England chief economist warns of ‘significant’ response to market turmoil September 27, 2022 The Bank of England’s chief economist today rushed to calm the City by promising a “significant” response to the UK market turmoil. Huw Pill said it is hard “not to conclude” the Bank must hike interest rates steeply at its next meeting on 3 November after markets were rocked by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax cuts and [...]
Labour suspends MP Rupa Huq over alleged racism against Kwasi Kwarteng September 27, 2022 Labour has suspended MP Rupa Huq for making allegedly racist comments against chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. Huq told a Labour conference event that the chancellor is “superficially” a black man and that “if you hear him on Today programme, you wouldn’t know he’s black”. Tory party chair Jake Berry said he had “serious concerns” about her [...]
Labour conference: Starmer finds his feet in a bid to look prime ministerial September 27, 2022 British people weren’t done with queuing today. They politely stood in line to enter the main hall at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to hear Keir Starmer’s speech. There was, in fact, a queue for the queue to see Starmer, a feat the opposition party might’ve only dreamed of this time last year. The [...]
Starmer pledges new publicly owned energy firm as he says ‘this is a Labour moment’ September 27, 2022 Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to create a new publicly owned energy generation company if Labour wins the next election as he declares this is a “Labour moment” like 1997 and 1964. Starmer said the new company would be called Great British Energy and that it would take “advantage of the opportunities in clean British [...]
Kwarteng tells City bosses that ‘we are committed to fiscal discipline’ September 27, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng has told a group of City bosses today that the government is committed to “fiscal discipline” as the chancellor tries to calm markets and reassure the Square Mile. Kwarteng told them that “we are confident in our long-term strategy to drive economic growth through tax cuts and supply side reform”, and that he [...]
Thornberry vows to crack down on corporate fraud if Labour wins election September 27, 2022 Labour has vowed to crack down on corporate fraud if it wins the next election by making it easier to prosecute firms for illegal conduct. Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said “fraud is now the UK’s most commonly-experienced crime”, calling it “an epidemic that the government has ignored and dismissed”. The proposed policy would see [...]
Former City minister: Scrapping bonus cap could have waited ‘a little longer’ September 27, 2022 John Glen, the former City minister, has said the decision to scrap the bankers’ bonus cap should have waited amid a cost of living crisis. Glen told the Following the Rules podcast that the removal of the cap, announced last week by new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, “was something that I would have deferred for a [...]
Sterling crash: Plenty of blame to go round but much of it falls on the Bank September 27, 2022 The British economy has been through a lot in recent years but a full-scale currency crisis still wins points for novelty. But for all the sound and fury of yesterday’s market movements and the so-called sterling crash, the panic is overdone. Much of the blame for yesterday’s excitement lies, rightly, with the government. This newspaper [...]
Brazil threatens UK with WTO action over new deforestation legislation September 27, 2022 The Brazilian government has threatened to challenge proposed UK deforestation legislation at the World Trade Organisation, documents shared with City A.M. this morning reveal. The proposed legislation seeks to prevent ‘large companies’ in the UK from using products grown on illegally deforested land. When asked to disclose submissions by the Brazilian government to its consultations [...]