How Brexit could help mortgage prisoners break free November 22, 2018 In the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, lenders were dishing out large mortgages and asking for tiny deposits in return. Property values were rapidly outpacing wage growth, and buyers were being allowed to borrow eight times their annual salary. For many homeowners, the problems started after the crash when the regulators forced [...]
UK’s customs system would not work properly for two years in no-deal Brexit, MPs told November 21, 2018 A 'no deal' Brexit would see the UK without a fully functioning customs system for two years, MPs were told on Wednesday. Senior officials from HM Revenue & Customs told the Treasury committee the moment to start planning for the talks collapsing passed months ago" in a sobering warning. MPs heard the UK would struggle [...]
Labour could form minority government without a general election, says John McDonnell November 21, 2018 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said Labour could form a minority government without a general election if Theresa May's Brexit deal is voted down in parliament. His comments mark a change of tack for the Labour leadership, which has been arguing for a fresh general election in the face of Brexit uncertainty. Speaking at a [...]
Theresa May heads to Brussels to finalise Brexit deal with EU officials ahead of European leaders summit November 21, 2018 Theresa May will head to Brussels today to meet with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in a bid to finalise a Brexit deal ahead of an EU leaders summit on Sunday. Last week’s publication of a draft agreement sparked outrage among MPs and led to the resignations of Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and work and [...]
DUP is still propping up Theresa May despite going missing in Budget votes, insists Downing Street November 21, 2018 Downing Street has insisted the DUP is still propping up Theresa May's government despite the party’s MPs voting against the Budget on Monday. A confidence and supply agreement struck after last year's election sees the DUP order its 10 MPs to support the Conservatives in Parliament in exchange for an extra £1billion on public spending in Northern Ireland. [...]
Amber Rudd: MPs will block a no-deal Brexit and back Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement November 21, 2018 Amber Rudd, the new work and pensions secretary, has appeared to rule out a no-deal Brexit on the basis that the House of Commons will vote through the draft withdrawal agreement put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former home secretary said the house would stop a [...]
Given the upcoming Brexit hurdles, what’s in store for sterling? November 21, 2018 The long-awaited draft withdrawal agreement was unveiled last Wednesday, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like we were finally getting somewhere. News that Theresa May had reached a deal pushed the pound up a notch against the dollar. But, as is often the case with anything Brexit-related, optimism was short-lived. May’s deal was fiercely [...]
This Thanksgiving, be grateful for the political freedom to campaign November 21, 2018 Tomorrow is the fourth Thursday in November, so Americans, in the US and across the world, will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Whenever I have been invited to Thanksgiving dinners, one of my favourite traditions is when everyone sitting around the table mentions something which they are grateful for in their lives. People often mention something personal [...]
To restore public trust, it’s time for finance to find its purpose November 21, 2018 More than 10 years on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the finance industry still has much work to do to rebuild society’s trust. Given the centrality of financial services to the UK’s economy – whether through the tax revenues it pays, the two million jobs it supports, or the basic functions of our economy [...]
Max fac is back to help solve Irish backstop worries, Downing Street reveals November 20, 2018 Theresa May is reviving plans to use technology to prevent a hard border with Ireland in a bid to win support for her under-fire Brexit deal. The so-called maximum facilitation proposal – dubbed ‘max fac’ – was one of the customs arrangements considered by the Government last year before being dismissed. It has support among [...]