RBS: No-deal Brexit could send UK economy reeling October 4, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) boss Ross McEwan has warned that a no-deal Brexit could push the UK into another recession. Economic growth could fall flat or even turn negative if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, he told the BBC. Read more: 'End Brexit psychodrama' – Chamber of Commerce chief pleads with [...]
‘A step in the right direction’: SMMT lends support to Theresa’s May Chequers plan October 4, 2018 Car industry chief Mike Hawes has said Theresa May's much maligned proposal for Brexit is a "step in the right direction" for the troubled industry. Hawes, the chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), told the BBC that while the prime minister's Brexit strategy wasn't a "panacea" for the industry, remaining [...]
The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
Greg Clark’s flawed and feeble remedy will fail to stamp out the late payment problem October 4, 2018 Brexit confusion, in-fighting, and leadership peacocking have marred both the Labour and Conservative Party conferences this year, but business secretary Greg Clark provided a glimmer of hope for SMEs this week. Large companies could be forced to nominate a board member to ensure that invoices are paid properly as part of a planned crackdown on [...]
Theresa May and Boris Johnson were both in the shadow of Jeremy Corbyn at the Conservative conference October 3, 2018 Inevitably, Theresa May's speech was always going to be judged alongside her disastrous efforts this time last year. Twelve months ago she lost her voice and the stage fell apart, but even from that low bar her address in Birmingham was a successful outing for the PM. She also survived the alternative leader speech given by Boris [...]
Theresa May declares ‘austerity is over’ as she lifts cap on how much councils can borrow for housebuilding October 3, 2018 Theresa May declared the end of austerity is in sight as she unveiled plans to let councils borrow more cash to tackle the housing crisis. In her speech to the Conservative conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister hinted at a financial boost for the UK's public services after Brexit, in a bid to show the [...]
Bereft of new ideas, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is dead set on sticking its head in the sand October 3, 2018 One of the most dispiriting aspects of the Labour Party conference, which ended last week, is how deeply conservative the political left has become. Its remedies for Britain’s problems look to the past and not the future. Far from embracing new technology, the left is hostile to it. This was not always the case. Labour [...]
The government’s migration blindspot is a missed opportunity October 3, 2018 If there is one message that has been trumpeted by cabinet ministers, MPs, and members at this week’s Conservative party conference, it is that the Tories are and have always been the party of business. From Philip Hammond’s affirmation that “the Conservative party has business at its core”, to Boris Johnson waxing lyrical about the [...]
May is not a match for Boris – give him a chance to lead October 3, 2018 Boris has spoken, and such was his performance that the moment must come soon where he is given the opportunity to lead the Conservative Party before it faces further humiliation at the hands of the EU leadership, or is ultimately defeated by Jeremy Corbyn and his Momentum mob. Everyone expected Boris Johnson to cover the [...]
Theresa May will freeze fuel duty as Conservatives look to limit cost of living increases on working families October 3, 2018 Fuel duty will be frozen for the ninth year in a row, Prime Minister Theresa May will say in her speech to Conservative party conference in Birmingham today, in a populist pitch to working families. May's speech, in which she'll hope to steal back the lime-light from former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, will also set [...]