Michael Gove insists there will be ‘no border in Irish Sea’ in Brexit divorce deal December 9, 2020 Michael Gove has defended an agreement secured yesterday on the Northern Ireland Protocol, insisting that any Brexit trade deal will not result in a border in the Irish sea. The Cabinet Office minister yesterday struck an “agreement in principle” with his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic on post-Brexit arrangements for the Irish border. The UK agreed [...]
FTSE 100 rises ahead of PM’s Brexit trip to Brussels December 9, 2020 The FTSE 100 opened higher as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepared to fly to Brussels for key Brexit talks and after the administration of Donald Trump in the US suggested a $916bn (£685bn) stimulus package. The index climbed 0.3 per cent to 6,580 points in early trading. Britain’s FTSE 250 index of mid-cap firms rose [...]
Before the Bell: Boris heads to Brussels December 9, 2020 After a negative start to the week on Monday, markets in Europe trod water yesterday, awaiting the next developments as we head towards the final denouement of the saga of the EU/UK trade talks, while the first day of the vaccine rollout in the UK also drew a lot of attention. “Ordinarily an event such [...]
UK firms worry about readiness as Brexit deadline approaches December 9, 2020 UK firms are increasingly anxious about Brexit, with more than half of those affected saying their ability to adequately prepare hinges on the ongoing trade talks, according to a new survey. The Institute of Directors (IoD) business lobby group which carried out the survey called on the government to “pull out the stops to land [...]
Britain ditches controversial Internal Market Bill clause in Brexit divorce deal December 8, 2020 The government will ditch parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that would have seen the UK break international law, after reaching an “agreement in principle” on Brexit divorce issues. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said he was “delighted” to have reached a compromise with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovicon on post-Brexit arrangements for the Irish border. [...]
UK signs post-Brexit trade deal with Norway and Iceland December 8, 2020 The UK just signed in London a post-Brexit rollover trade deal with Norway and Iceland. The agreement covers trade in goods, and ensures 95 per cent of goods trade with Norway and over 90 per cent with Iceland will remain tariff-free, providing businesses with certainty that they can continue to operate on the same terms [...]
47 per cent of UK exports flow to EU while a mere four per cent of bloc’s goods end up in Britain: study December 8, 2020 Brexit will have a far greater impact on UK trade than it will on EU businesses, primarily because the UK relies more heavily on the EU for its imports and exports than vice versa. According to a new study by the ifo Center for International Economics, the UK relied on the EU for 50 per [...]
Before the Bell: Deal or no deal, as the choreography steps up December 8, 2020 Equity markets got the week off to a negative start yesterday, weighed down by a combination of concerns over rising coronavirus cases in the US, and the prospect that the UK and EU appear to be heading down a road to no deal, at the end of this month. From the initial optimism of Sunday [...]
Brexit talks to continue today after Boris Johnson and von der Leyen call December 8, 2020 Brexit talks will continue this week in Brussels after Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen agreed to give negotiations a final shot. Johnson and von der Leyen are believed to have spoken for about an hour last night to discuss if a deal can be finally agreed before the 31 December deadline. They will [...]
UK jobs market attracts global interest after visa offer to Hong Kong December 8, 2020 Interest in the UK jobs market from non-EU workers has jumped 20 per cent, driven by a surge in job seekers from Hong Kong, according to a new survey. Interest in the London jobs market from non-EU workers has overtaken that from EU ones for the first time in seven years, according to data released [...]