A post-Brexit City: MPs ask the right questions January 25, 2019 City in the morning, Westminster in the afternoon – there was a time when this was the daily routine for a number of MPs. These days, alas, one is hard-pressed to find a parliamentarian who truly understands the Square Mile, but former corporate lawyer Nicky Morgan can claim to be one of them. As head [...]
ECB Headwinds, IMF downgrade for Europe – What Can We Expect from 2019? January 25, 2019 | City Talk This week bankers and leaders around the globe have come together for the World Economic Forum in Davos. A key topic has been what we can expect from 2019 and beyond, in the face of a global slowdown, climate change, the US shutdown, trade wars and Brexit. On top of that, the ECB revealed that [...]
BBC weighs new European headquarters in Brussels January 25, 2019 The BBC is considering opening a new office in Brussels ahead of the UK leaving the EU, according to Belgium prime minister Charles Michel. Michel, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, said he has held meetings with BBC director general Tony Hall to discuss the possible move. Read more: Brussels launches campaign to [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond refuses to rule out resigning after a no-deal Brexit January 25, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has refused to say that he would not resign if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal. Speaking at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos the chancellor said the government is looking for a deal with the European Union which will allow Britain to continue trading closely with [...]
The view from the slopes: This year’s Davos was stuck in aspic January 25, 2019 Leading up to Davos, all the talk was about the notable absentees. As high-profile delegates fell like dominoes, this year’s World Economic Forum looked in danger of becoming a damp squib. But something has been here, and people have been trying hard to pretend it isn’t. It’s the elephant, or even elephants, in the room. [...]
There’s a lesson from Dyson’s Singapore move, but it has nothing to do with Brexit January 25, 2019 There’s no question that Dyson’s move from Wiltshire to Singapore will be a loss to Britain. The company boasts profits in excess of £1bn, employs 4,000 in its Malmesbury offices alone, and is one of the UK’s major business success stories. But that doesn’t justify the political backlash we’ve seen. In true polarising fashion, owner Sir [...]
Mark Kleinman: Flybe might struggle for take-off without investors on board January 25, 2019 Talk about a crash landing. The outrage of Flybe’s largest shareholder about the terms of its £2.2m takeover, articulated in a legal letter to the airline’s board last week, is at face value perfectly understandable. On the full pre-flight checklist-worth of complaints from Hosking Partners, the most incendiary may be Flybe’s decision last year to [...]
Editor’s Notes: Davos – a festival of irrelevance and hypocrisy January 25, 2019 Davos brings the same delights every year. From the press release about the number of private jet movements to Oxfam’s annual criticism of the global super-rich, there are predictable elements to this week-long event. Another thing you can always be assured of is that some staggering hypocrisy will be on display. I came across a [...]
‘No deal’ would be a betrayal of Leave voters’ hopes, warns Philip Hammond January 24, 2019 Leaving the EU without a deal would be a betrayal of the people who voted Leave in the hope of a better future, Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned as pressure grew on Theresa May to rule out exiting the bloc without an agreement. Just days before parliament resumes voting on Brexit, ministers, business leaders and trade [...]
Brussels launches campaign to entice UK creative industries ahead of Brexit January 24, 2019 Brussels has positioned itself as a potential new home for the UK’s creative industries by calling on creative businesses to move to the Belgian capital ahead of Brexit. The campaign aims to bring British companies in the film, broadcast and creative industries to Brussels to help them secure their European operations when Britain leaves the [...]