If Chequers falters, the answer to Brexit is the EEA, not no-deal September 18, 2018 The Prime Minister has come out fighting this week, announcing both to the Conservative party and to the country that it is her Chequers deal for Brexit, or no deal at all. Her efforts should be supported. Brexit requires a pragmatic, economically realistic, and constitutionally secure solution, so I support the government’s endeavours to reach [...]
Crispin Odey makes hurried correction to report he wants to enter British politics September 17, 2018 Prominent hedge fund manager Crispin Odey today issued a hurried denial that he intends to swap the world of high finance for front-line politics after a report that he was considering trying for public office. Odey, founder of Odey Asset Management, was reported by Financial News to have expressed an interest in entering political life, [...]
Brexit: EU has let ‘cat out of the bag’ over Irish border solution, claims Theresa Villiers September 17, 2018 The EU has been accused of letting the "cat out of the bag" after a leaked Brussels document suggested technology could solve the Irish backstop issue in the Brexit talks. It has been reported the EU chief's negotiator Michel Barnier is prepared to accept technology could be used to monitor goods moving between Northern Ireland and mainland [...]
Brexit means… businesses are desperate for multilinguists September 17, 2018 News that Chinese has overtaken German among A-Level students seems to make sense on paper. With Brexit on the cards and the UK looking to the global stage, Chinese – the most spoken language in the world – seems like the most sensible option for young linguists with ambitions for an international career. But our [...]
Jaguar Land Rover moves factory to three-day week amid industry ‘headwinds’ September 17, 2018 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has opted to move one of its factories to a three-day week, citing industry headwinds caused by Brexit and the transition away from diesel. The car maker said its decision to reduce output at its Castle Bromwich facility in Birmingham would last until Christmas after paring production to match market demand. Read [...]
IMF warns time has run out for no-deal Brexit preparations September 17, 2018 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today warned that the government has run out of time to prepare fully for a no-deal Brexit, saying it would impose “substantial costs”on the British economy. Christine Lagarde, the IMF's managing director, said that a no-deal Brexit risks a "reduction of the size of the UK economy", with a larger [...]
Why settle? Britain can learn from copying international competitors September 17, 2018 From the record number of business startups to historically low unemployment, there are many things that the UK gets right. Indeed, a report by Forbes late last year declared that Britain would be the best country for business this year, citing technological readiness and the size and education of our workforce as key factors. But [...]
There’s a bright, collaborative future ahead for the City and Northern Ireland September 17, 2018 Last week, I embarked on a visit to Northern Ireland to engage with its financial and professional services sector. With fewer than 200 days until the UK leaves the EU, and the Irish border proving to be one of the more contentious issues surrounding negotiations, this was an excellent opportunity to hear the views of [...]
London housing market showing signs of recovery September 17, 2018 The London housing market is showing some signs of recovery with transaction numbers at the upper end of the market up six per cent year-on-year. The number of agreed sales for houses above £750,000, representing a fifth of all transactions in London, increased six per cent in September on the same month a year ago, [...]
Brexit uncertainty to slow down UK economy further as it endures investment slowdown September 17, 2018 A fall in investment because of continued uncertainty as the date of Brexit fast approaches has weakened the UK’s economic growth outlook, according to an influential business lobby group. Economists at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) say growth will slow to 1.1 per cent this year, in forecasts to be published today, a downgrade [...]