People’s Vote campaigners are playing dirty with the facts January 10, 2019 As Monday's Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War reminded us, the Remain campaign likes to take comfort in the fact that it tried to win us over with facts and figures, never stooping to the kind of outright lies about the economic benefits of leaving the EU or the threats of immigration indulged in by members [...]
DEBATE: Is HSBC’s ‘we are not an island’ advert an effective strategy? January 10, 2019 Is HSBC’s ‘we are not an island’ advert an effective strategy? Brendon Craigie, co-founder and managing partner at Tyto PR, says YES. HSBC has denied that its adverts are explicitly Brexit-related, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the campaign’s underlying message. Given the social media response, this denial is probably intended to highlight that, [...]
The Japanese Prime Minister’s visit is a chance to celebrate our friendship with like-minded nations January 10, 2019 I sometimes find that foreign leaders are more aware of Britain’s national strengths than we are at home. So let me itemise a few of them. The UK has the fifth biggest economy in the world, the third biggest overseas aid budget, the second largest military budget in Nato, and a world-class diplomatic network, including [...]
New visa for architects as trade body calls for ‘drastic reform’ of UK immigration system post-Brexit January 10, 2019 The Home Office launched a visa scheme for exceptional architects today as the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) argues UK immigration legislation needs a drastic overhaul post-Brexit to safeguard the £4.8bn industry. From today architects will be able to apply for Tier 1 (exceptional talent) visas – the first bespoke immigration category available for [...]
Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce achieves highest sales growth in 115-year history in 2018 January 10, 2019 Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce enjoyed a record-breaking year last year, as annual sales reached 4,107 cars – the highest in the marque's 115-year history. The main driver of growth was the company's Phantom model, which chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos called "flight on land, a magic carpet ride in its purest form". Donald Trump-driven tax reforms in [...]
Retail sector suffers worst Christmas in a decade as sales stagnate January 10, 2019 The UK retail sector has suffered its worst Christmas in a decade as sales stagnated during the crucial festive period, despite a string of positive updates offering a glimmer of hope. Overall retail sales were flat in December, the lowest level of growth since April and the worst festive performance since 2008, according to figures [...]
Passing May’s Brexit deal would make sterling surge, says JP Morgan January 9, 2019 The sterling would surge by at least four per cent if parliament approves Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit proposals in a planned vote next week, JP Morgan said. The bank’s asset management wing also warned about the potential impact of extending Article 50, something the government has ruled out. Karen Ward, the fund manager’s EMEA [...]
Will this be a year for investors to fear? January 9, 2019 A new year always offers the chance of a reset, of evolved thoughts, ideas and insights. Even though many will be pleased to see the back of 2018, numerous investors are beginning this year with new concerns: an oncoming recession. This fear seems suddenly rampant among many of my colleagues in the industry. But these fears [...]
John Bercow blasted by Tory Brexiters as Theresa May suffers another defeat January 9, 2019 Theresa May suffered yet another defeat over Brexit on Wednesday after a furious row erupted between Tory MPs and Commons Speaker John Bercow. Bercow was accused of not being impartial after accepting an amendment which would force the government to publish its Brexit ‘plan B’ within three days of a defeat on its deal, not [...]
DUP slams government’s wooing attempts in advance of Brexit deal vote January 9, 2019 A spokesman for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has slammed government proposals intended to get the support of the Northern Irish party for the Brexit deal as “fairly meaningless”. Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington, a key ally of Prime Minister Theresa May, had announced a series of pledges to try and sell the [...]