The Dutch ‘Brexit Snatch’: Why Azimo is not quitting the UK February 20, 2019 Have you heard the news? Azimo is one of 250 companies moving to the Netherlands in an alleged ‘Brexit Snatch’ by the Dutch government. Read more: London fintech startups poised to expand in Europe They say never let the truth get in the way of a good story but as the chief executive of Azimo, [...]
European Medicines Agency loses £500m ruling over bid to cancel lease amid Brexit move February 20, 2019 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has lost a court battle to break a £500m London office lease in the wake of its planned move to Amsterdam post-Brexit. In a landmark case for the commercial property industry ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU, landlord Canary Wharf has won a ruling that means the EMA must [...]
Tory MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston quit Conservative party February 20, 2019 The Conservatives were reeling this lunchtime as three MPs announced they have quit the party to join a group of ex-Labour MPs. South Cambridgeshire’s Heidi Allen MP, Anna Soubry MP and Sarah Wollaston MP revealed they are leaving the party in protest at Theresa May’s Brexit stance, and will sit with the eight MPs who resigned [...]
Ken Clarke warns ‘fed up’ Tory MPs could quit the Conservative party February 20, 2019 Tory veteran Ken Clarke has said MPs from his party are "very fed up" and could contemplate defecting to the newly formed Independent Group. Clarke, a pro-EU MPs, told the BBC this morning: "Certainly some members of parliament are getting very fed up. There are some, I think – not including me – who probably [...]
Theresa May will travel to Brussels with the EU still not budging on the backstop February 19, 2019 Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting with Jean Claude-Juncker after the EU once again ruled out fundamental changes to the Brexit deal. However, negotiators from both sides are currently working on a new legal text relating to the Irish backstop plan aimed at winning support from the UK parliament. Brexit [...]
Labour’s Magnificent Seven just made a no-deal Brexit more likely February 19, 2019 I am old enough to recall the “Gang of Four” in the eighties, when Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers left Labour to set up the Social Democratic Party. We know that all ended acrimoniously, with a reverse takeover by David Steel’s Liberal Party that created the Liberal Democrats. This week, we [...]
Honda: What’s really hurting car manufacturers? February 19, 2019 Business secretary Greg Clark yesterday took a stand for Britain’s car manufacturers, saying Honda’s move to close its Swindon factory shows the urgent need to strike a Brexit deal. “Decisions like Honda’s this morning demonstrate starkly how much is at stake,” he said. “A situation in which our manufacturers do not have the certainty they [...]
Asda sales growth falters amid competition probe into Sainsbury’s merger February 19, 2019 Asda today reported a slowdown in sales growth in the fourth quarter as it waits for the green light over its planned merger with Sainsbury’s. The supermarket chain, which is owned by US grocery giant Walmart, posted a one per cent rise in like-for-like sales excluding petrol in the three months to the end of [...]
Slowdown in retail investment as Brexit uncertainty puts sellers on hold February 19, 2019 Investment in retail property tumbled by several billion pounds last year, as owners of high street stores, retail parks and shopping centres showed a reluctance to sell at discount prices despite uncertainty over Brexit and a swathe of industry-wide pressures. A gap in price expectations between buyers and sellers of retail property is causing a [...]
Jeremy Corbyn warned of more Labour defections as MPs ‘think hard’ about future February 19, 2019 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that more of his MPs will jump ship unless he listens to their concerns over Brexit and anti-semitism. Ian Austin, Ian Murray and Tom Watson were among the MPs sounding the alarm bells today following the decision of seven Labour MPs to quite the party to form a [...]