Blame the Fixed-term Parliaments Act for this utter chaos in Westminster September 27, 2019 The BBC podcast series The Political Butterfly Effect explores the theory that even the tiniest of events can have vast and unintended consequences. If you’re curious how a bar fight may have caused Brexit, or what the meat extract product Bovril has to do with keeping Britain out of the euro, it’s worth a listen. [...]
DEBATE: Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? September 27, 2019 Did Jacques Chirac leave France in a better state than he found it when he became President? Alastair Benn, news editor of Reaction, says YES. Jacques Chirac’s legacy is hard to define – he was certainly not a great President, and the old fox, as he was often known, never really shook off a (justified) [...]
If Jeremy Corbyn really cares about ‘the many’, he should rethink his aversion to markets September 27, 2019 A common complaint over the past three years is that no one can talk about anything other than Brexit. But that wasn’t true at the Labour party conference this week. Unlike the Liberal Democrats, who barely gave way to any policy discussion beyond revoking Article 50, both the Labour leader and shadow chancellor confronted all [...]
There’s more to worry about with Justin Trudeau than fancy dress September 27, 2019 In 2015, Justin Trudeau was elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada, following the footsteps of his father Pierre. And next month, Trudeau junior is seeking a second term in what opinion polls suggest will be a closely fought contest. The main coverage of the election campaign in Britain has been the revelations that the [...]
London retains green finance crown September 27, 2019 London has retained the top spot in a major ranking of the world’s best hubs for green finance. According to a respected global index out today, the capital has kept its eco-crown despite several European neighbours being hot on its heels. Read more: Debenhams finance chief exits Western Europe’s financial sector continues to dominate the [...]
IFS: Johnson’s tax cut pledges will cost billions September 27, 2019 A bonanza of tax cuts promised by Boris Johnson will cost billions of pounds, an influential research group has warned. The Prime Minister’s pledge to raise the threshold of National Insurance contributions (NIC) and higher-rate income tax has come under damning criticism from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which said this morning that the [...]
City Moves for 27 September – Who’s switching jobs at Rowan Dartington, CRH and Equals Group? September 27, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Dartington, CRH and Equals Group Rowan Dartington Fiona Richards has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) of wealth management firm Rowan Dartington. Fiona will be responsible for driving operational efficiencies and the development and execution of the firm’s strategic priorities. Fiona comes to the firm with 20 years’ diversified experience in [...]
Small businesses need ‘meaningful financial assistance’ to prepare for no-deal Brexit, FSB warns September 27, 2019 The government should provide “meaningful financial assistance” to small firms to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said. The FSB surveyed over 1,062 small firms to assess how prepared they are for the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October, finding that 39 per cent of [...]
Consumer confidence edges up in September September 27, 2019 Consumer confidence grew slightly this month but remained negative overall as uncertainty continued in the run up to the 31 October Brexit deadline date. Despite the two point increase, consumer confidence was still minus 12 points in September compared to a score of minus nine in the same month last year. Read more: UK consumer [...]
Exclusive: Government plan to invoke EU law’s supremacy to ensure Brexit on Halloween September 26, 2019 The government believe it is possible to circumvent parliamentary legislation requiring them to delay Britain’s departure from the EU by invoking European law, City A.M. understands. Under the hastily-passed Benn Act, the Prime Minister must write to the EU seeking an extension to Article 50 if no Brexit deal secures parliamentary approval by 19 October. [...]