A short extension to the Brexit timetable is possible, says Jacob Rees-Mogg February 2, 2019 Eurosceptic Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that he could accept a small extension to the Brexit timeline if Prime Minister Theresa May pursued his plan. Rees-Mogg claims that a delay to the date the UK leaves the European Union could be permissible if a deal with the EU is struck along the lines of the so-called Malthouse Compromise. After May's [...]
EU approves visa-free travel for Britons in no-deal Brexit but sparks diplomatic scuffle over Gibraltar February 1, 2019 Downing Street has welcomed EU plans to let UK citizens travel to the continent without a visa even in the case of a no-deal Brexit, but contested a description of Gibraltar as a British “colony” made in the same announcement. EU ambassadors agreed today Britons travelling within the the Schengen area of 26 EU member [...]
Manufacturers ‘risk recession’ as Brexit stockpiling hits record highs February 1, 2019 Storm clouds are gathering above Britain’s manufacturers, as positive sentiment in the industry fell to a 30-month low in January amid record levels of stockpiling in the run-up to Brexit. Manufacturing activity fell to a three-month low in January, as stocks of purchases rose at a record rate, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index [...]
Plastic packaging giant RPC Group revenues down after weak Christmas, as it ramps up Brexit stockpiling February 1, 2019 RPC Group’s shares fell slightly this morning as the company admitted weak Christmas trading had impacted revenues. The firm, one of Europe’s biggest plastic packaging makers, said Brexit stockpiling had also hit cash flow in the period as it looks to alleviate disruption from the UK’s exit from the EU. Read more: Private equity group [...]
Brexit pushes one in three firms to plan move abroad, survey finds February 1, 2019 Nearly a third of companies surveyed by one of Britain's biggest groups may move parts of their operations abroad because of Brexit. Research by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found 16 per cent of its member had already initiated relocation plans, with a further 13 per cent “actively considering” a move. Among large businesses surveyed, [...]
Editor’s Notes: Why we cannot take no-deal off the table February 1, 2019 There has been no shortage of ludicrous Brexiter outbursts lately as they see their project imperilled by political reality. One Tory backbencher railed against the CEO of Airbus (who had warned against a no-deal Brexit) on the grounds that he is German. He even invoked the Second World War to make a point about not [...]
Britain’s trade bodies must confront challenges of their own January 31, 2019 What does the future hold for Britain's trade bodies? We hear a great deal about the disruption that poses huge challenges to their members but what of the disruption facing membership groups themselves? Many are struggling with declining membership rates, or the competing interests of the members who do remain. Take the British Retail Consortium [...]
Britain has never understood the fervour for the EU project January 31, 2019 What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? It would appear that we are about to find out in the latest instalment of the Brexit soap opera that has been running since we announced our intention to leave in 2016. For no sooner had MPs voted on Tuesday night to back Sir Graham [...]
DEBATE: After Tuesday’s amendments, is a no-deal Brexit actually more likely now? January 31, 2019 After Tuesday’s amendments, is a no-deal Brexit actually more likely now? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The UK leaves the EU by operation of law at 11pm on 29 March. No deal is the default. The insipid amendment “rejecting” that outcome has no force. Only an agreement with the EU or the revocation or extension [...]
Let it be: London councils should allow offices and shops to be converted into homes January 31, 2019 Amid all the Brexit brouhaha in Westminster it is important that parliamentarians do not forget the many other issues that affect people's day-to-day lives. Bravo, therefore, to MP Chris Philp for reminding Theresa May during yesterday's Prime Minister's Questions that the dream of homeownership remains all too elusive for many young adults – particularly in [...]