Trade is a long game, so we must look beyond FTAs and make marginal gains December 3, 2018 New York and London frequently vie for the crown when it comes to the title of the world’s leading financial centre. But as well as competing, we share a special relationship. The Big Apple was the first stop on my visit last week to the United States, which came at an opportune moment as the [...]
Heed Hammond’s warning: We must not be prisoners of change December 3, 2018 Britain has become a single issue nation. So all-consuming have the ins and outs of Brexit become that the national debate seems incapable of concentrating on anything else. Which was why it was so surprising when Philip Hammond spoke to a small business audience last week and didn’t drop the B-word once. In so doing, [...]
Pubs reap rewards of World Cup summer as third quarter beer sales grow, but Brexit uncertainty looms December 3, 2018 The haze of a long, hot World Cup summer drove British drinkers to buy more beer in the third quarter than the year before for the first time in more than 15 years. UK pubs saw beer sales grow 0.9 per cent year on year from August to October, with around 941.5m pints changing hands over [...]
Embankment traffic harming 15,000 east London businesses, study warns December 2, 2018 Heavy traffic on the Embankment is causing serious economic harm to east London businesses, a new study has warned. Research by transport economists Volterra Partners revealed the removal of a traffic lane on the A3211, which runs between Westminster Bridge and Tower Hill, has significantly increased journey times. Volterra partners said increased congestion has meant [...]
Private sector growth slows amid ‘lacklustre’ conditions as Brexit uncertainty weighs on firms December 2, 2018 Private sector growth slowed in the quarter to November amid “lacklustre” conditions, with activity relatively stable compared to a rise in previous monthly figures. According to a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the balance of firms reporting a rise in output was two per cent in the three months to November, down [...]
Digital Withdrawal: How Britain’s fast-growing tech sector can flourish in the face of Brexit December 2, 2018 The last five years have seen an extraordinary phenomenon. The powerhouse that is the UK tech sector has boomed to a value of more than £180bn, outpacing the sluggish UK economy as a whole. Want to buy clothes online? Asos and FarFetch are leading the world. Play games on your smartphone? You’ve probably enjoyed one made [...]
Gove says government can win Brexit vote in parliament December 2, 2018 Environment secretary Michael Gove, a key ally of the Prime Minister, said he believes Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement will get through parliament despite signs of a growing revolt. By some estimates, over a hundred Conservative MPs are preparing to vote against May’s withdrawal agreement in parliament next week, paving the way for a crisis over how [...]
May faces contempt of parliament threat from Labour as Brexit legal advice leaks December 2, 2018 Theresa May is facing one of the greatest clashes of her premiership as MPs from across parliament contemplate accusing her of contempt of parliament over her refusal to publish legal advice she has received on Brexit. MPs may move against the Prime Minister tomorrow, with figures from the DUP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP planning [...]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urges Theresa May to avoid no-deal Brexit December 1, 2018 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has today asked Prime Minister Theresa May to do what she can to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Speaking at a bi-lateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina, Abe praised May for striking a deal with the EU. “I would like to once again ask for your [...]
Sam Gyimah resigns in protest at Theresa May’s “naive” Brexit deal December 1, 2018 Science and universities minister, Sam Gyimah, became the sixth minister to resign in protest at Theresa May's Brexit deal when he quit the government on Friday evening. It came after May announced that the UK was pulling out of the EU's Galileo satellite-navigation project, which Gyimah believes exposes the deal as "naive". The decision to pull out of the project came [...]