Davos: Philip Hammond declares Britain ‘great place to do business’ after Brexit January 24, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond is to make a pitch for the UK’s post-Brexit business credentials in Davos today, as he announces £100m investment for British innovation. Hammond will tell business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum: “Britain is a great place to do business. And we are determined, as we leave the EU, to make [...]
Pound rises to 10-week high as fears of a no-deal Brexit recede January 23, 2019 Sterling rose to above $1.30 today reaching a 10-week high as fears of a no-deal Brexit eased. The pound also rose against the Euro to its highest level in a month, rising to near €1.15. Sterling’s rise was helped by hopes that the Labour Party would move to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Labour MP Yvette [...]
Another day of unforced errors from Jeremy Corbyn December 17, 2018 For anyone wondering how on earth this government still finds itself ahead in the polls, yesterday's showing from the Labour leadership should prove informative. Around mid-afternoon the opposition let it be known it was calling a vote of no confidence in Theresa May if the Prime Minister did not confirm the date of parliament's meaningful [...]
Report into audit sector commissioned by John McDonnell calls for break-up of Big Four December 14, 2018 A report into the audit sector commissioned by shadow chancellor John McDonnell has called for the break-up of the Big Four audit firms. The report, published today, recommended that the audit business of accounting firms must be legally separate from everything else and says it should be a criminal offence for auditors to perform non-audit [...]
Editor’s Notes: The Bank of England must protect its independence December 7, 2018 Former chair of the US Federal Reserve Janet Yellen once said “the principle that a central bank should be independent from the government is unassailable.” Donald Trump probably thinks unassailable means you can’t sell it, but even if he understood Yellan’s point he seems determined to ignore it. His broadsides against Fed policy are quite [...]
Editor’s Notes: Check back in with the forecasters in 2033 November 30, 2018 The Treasury’s Brexit scenarios, released this week, boiled down to a claim – made with pinpoint accuracy – that the Prime Minister’s deal will leave the UK economy 3.9 per cent smaller in 15 years, compared with staying in the EU. In other news, PwC estimates that artificial intelligence will increase UK GDP by 10.3 [...]
A new Brexit referendum could be held on 30 May, says Justine Greening November 29, 2018 A new Brexit referendum could be held within six months, according to former Conservative cabinet minister Justine Greening. The Putney MP said today that if parliament defeats Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 11 December, wheels could be put in motion for another country-wide poll on 30 May. Such a move would see the Article 50 process [...]
John McDonnell agrees Labour support for new Brexit referendum is ‘inevitable’ November 28, 2018 Labour’s John McDonnell believes it is “inevitable” his party will soon back another referendum on Brexit. In an interview on Wednesday afternoon, the shadow chancellor gave the clearest indication yet Labour will fully endorse another vote on the UK’s relationship with the EU. Labour’s official position is it would push for a general election if Theresa [...]
Venezuela is a brutal lesson to the UK’s socialist apologists November 28, 2018 I know it is very hard to believe, but at some point we shall stop talking about Brexit. We shall get back to discussing what we can do to improve our lives and those of others. And we shall look for inspiration from other countries to learn lessons from catastrophic failures or discover truly amazing [...]
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 [...]