Labour opts for status quo on second Brexit referendum after five-hour meeting April 30, 2019 Labour’s top decision making body today stopped short of committing the party to support for a second Brexit referendum in the upcoming European election campaign. After a five hour meeting, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided not to back a second referendum in its European election manifesto. Read more: Tories trail Brexit party, Labour and [...]
European elections poll: Conservatives trail Brexit party and Labour with 13 per cent of vote April 30, 2019 A new poll has put the Conservatives behind Labour, the Brexit party and Change UK as voters prepare for the European elections almost three years since 2016's vote to quit the EU. Theresa May's party is on track to win just 11 per cent of the vote in London, well behind Labour’s 28 per cent, [...]
Tom Watson leaves shadow cabinet meeting early over second referendum splits April 30, 2019 Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting today in a bust-up over leader Jeremy Corbyn’s position on a second Brexit referendum. Watson denied reports he stormed out of the meeting after copies of the party's EU manifesto document were not shared with the cabinet. Read more: Labour could bypass second [...]
European Central Bank hikes supervision fees by 21 per cent as Brexit takes financial toll April 30, 2019 The European Central Bank (ECB) today increased supervisory fees by 21 per cent as it seeks to cover higher than expected costs to prepare for Brexit. Read more: Euro falls as ECB chief Draghi bearish on Eurozone economy The hike amounts to an estimated €576m charge on banks this year, up from €502.2m in 2018, as a [...]
Euro rises as Eurozone economy shows stronger-than-expected growth in first quarter April 30, 2019 The Eurozone economy achieved faster-than-expected growth in the first quarter of the year, marking a pick-up from its lacklustre performance at the end of 2018, official statistics have revealed. Read more: Euro falls as ECB chief Draghi bearish on Eurozone economy Economic growth in the currency area was 0.4 per cent in the first quarter [...]
Countrywide warns of earnings hit as it blames Brexit for sales slowdown April 30, 2019 Embattled estate agent giant Countrywide warned this morning that £5m would be wiped off of the group’s first-half earnings, as it blamed Brexit uncertainty for a slowdown in the UK property market market. Read more: Countrywide losses deepen amid housing market slowdown Countrywide, which owns brands such as Bairstow Eves and Gascoigne Pees, posted a [...]
Online advertising continues to grow as UK ad spend hits £24bn April 30, 2019 Online formats are continuing to take the lion’s share of advertising pounds as UK ad spend hit almost £24bn last year, new figures have revealed. Read more: WPP suffers sales drop after ‘significant’ client losses Search and online display advertising pulled in almost £12bn in 2018, more than half of the total spend across all [...]
Your guide to US results season Q1 2019 April 30, 2019 | City Talk By Jemma Jackson from interactive investor. Home or away? interactive investor comment as US earnings season kicks off ahead of expectations So far, the news has been generally positive, with banks having noted an improvement in Net Interest Margins (the difference between the rate at which they borrow and lend). Industrials have also provided a [...]
Premier Inn owner Whitbread warns ‘acute’ political uncertainty will hurt growth after Costa coffee sale April 30, 2019 Whitbread today revealed profits have plummeted 40 per cent since the £3.9bn sale of its Costa coffee chain to Coca-Cola last year. Read more: Caffeine kick: Whitbread announces £2bn share buyback The figures Profit before tax at the Premier Inn owner slumped 39.1 per cent year on year to just £260m in its 2019 financial [...]
Theresa May faces fresh coup attempt as grassroot Tories force emergency summit April 30, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a fresh leadership challenge after grassroot Tories forced an emergency meeting to vote on whether to demand her resignation. May will appear in front of 800 constituency chairmen and senior activists, who will vote on whether to demand she steps down over her failure to deliver Brexit, The Sun [...]