Mitie sheds pest control business amid efforts to restructure October 1, 2018 Outsourcing group Mitie revealed plans to offload its £40m pest control business this morning, as it ramps up efforts to restructure the business in the wake of several profit warnings. The FTSE 250 firm said it would sell its pest control arm to business services giant Rentokil Initial as it seeks to plough more of [...]
Philip Hammond: Tory party ‘has business at its core’ October 1, 2018 Philip Hammond this morning sought to reaffirm the Tories as the “party of business” ahead of his Conservative Party Conference speech later today. He also tried to bolster business confidence about the prospects of the UK negotiating a Brexit deal with the EU, amid rising concerns over the possibility of the UK leaving the bloc [...]
Business leaders voice growing concern over government striking good Brexit deal October 1, 2018 Business leaders voiced growing concern in the government's ability to deliver a good Brexit deal today as a survey revealed confidence had dipped to its lowest level in over a year. Releasing its quarterly Brexit Monitor, consulting firm RSM said just 39 per cent of business leaders thought the government could strike a 'good deal' [...]
City leaders sound alarm over risk of no-deal Brexit ‘cliff-edge’ September 30, 2018 City leaders have issued an urgent plea as Conservative conference gets underway, calling on the government to embrace a special deal for EU migration and avoid veering off a “Brexit cliff-edge” over compliance issues. The majority of business leaders said a non-deal Brexit would have a negative effect on their businesses, with over a third [...]
Boris Johnson is ‘irrelevant and offensive’ says top business guru Digby Jones September 30, 2018 Boris Johnson was dismissed as "irrelevant and offensive" today by one of the UK's top businessman today. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Lord Digby Jones attacked the former foreign secretary over reports he said "fuck business" when told of concerns from the sector over Brexit. Johnson refused to deny the claims when [...]
Tory civil war deepens as Boris Johnson lays into ‘deranged’ Chequers plan September 30, 2018 Boris Johnson poured salt on the wounds of Tory Party divisions this morning, branding Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint as “entirely preposterous” and “deranged”. In comments that are likely to fuel further speculation about his leadership ambitions, Johnson widened the rift between himself and the Prime Minister by saying: “Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for [...]
War of words: Former Brexit minister brands CBI a ‘grave menace to political stability’ in damning attack September 30, 2018 A former Brexit minister and leading Tory backbencher has launched a remarkable and scathing attack on Britain’s largest business lobby group today, branding the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) “a grave menace to the political stability and economic prospects of the UK”. In a hard-hitting article that claims the CBI is no longer the voice of [...]
Theresa May unable to guarantee no hard Irish border in case of ‘no deal’ Brexit September 30, 2018 Theresa May today was unable to promise there would be no hard border with Ireland if the Brexit talks break down, instead repeating the UK would do “everything it can” to avoid customs checks. Speaking just hours before the Conservative Party conference is due to start in Birmingham, the Prime Minister launched a defence of [...]
Toyota warns production could grind to a halt in the case of a no-deal Brexit September 29, 2018 Car manufacturer Toyota has warned that a "no-deal" Brexit could force it to stop production at one of its key UK plants. The firm is one of the biggest car makers in the UK, and relies on components from the EU to make its vehicles. But today it has raised concerns that a "no-deal" Brexit [...]
Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier puts himself out of contention for EU presidency September 28, 2018 The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has put himself out of the running to become the centre-right's candidate to replace departing Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission. Barnier's announcement ends a protracted period of speculation suggesting that he would throw his hat into the ring for the role of Spitzenkandidat in the [...]