Parliament gets Brexit votes: Pound hits $1.33, FTSE 100 comes off 7,200 March 1, 2019 | City Talk Just as it seemed Theresa May was on track to appease the hard-line Brexiters in her party, it’s now the Remainers causing problems. Last week three MPs, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen, quit to join the new Independent Party formed by eight breakaway Labour MPs a few days before. More Conservatives have threatened [...]
US lays out demands for free trade deal with UK, raising concerns over food regulations March 1, 2019 The United States has taken a hard line on post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, demanding greater access to British markets where products such as chlorinated chicken are currently banned by the EU. In its negotiating objectives for a future free trade deal, the US Trade Representative’s office (USTR) said it would try to reduce [...]
Editor’s Notes: Let’s hear it from the New Democrats and Reagan Republicans March 1, 2019 Back in 2015, I was convinced the UK was heading for another hung parliament. The following year I expected a comfortable Remain victory in the EU referendum. A few months later, turning to the US, I was certain that Hillary Clinton would trounce Donald Trump at the ballot box. Then, just to compound things, I [...]
UK cannabis firm Jacana blazes a trail to possible London listing February 28, 2019 Cannabis firm Jacana is “considering” a stock market flotation this year after raising $20m (£15.08m) in private investment in 2018. Read more: England lock George Kruis has high hopes for cannabis oil business Serial entrepreneur Alexandra Chong, the company’s co-founder, said “all options were on the table” in terms of funding, as Jacana seeks to expand [...]
Crossrail: Bond Street station work ‘could slip beyond 2019’ February 28, 2019 Completion of Crossrail's Bond Street station could slip to "late 2019 or even beyond", Transport for London (TfL) has admitted. New TfL papers reveal that none of the Crossrail stations are fully complete and that Bond Street, regarded as one of the more complex stations to fit out, would either be finished at the end of [...]
Minister quits government warning Brexit delay will lead to ‘final humiliation’ of UK February 28, 2019 Agriculture minister George Eustice has quit the government, warning a delay in Brexit could lead to the “final humiliation of our country”. Eustice, who campaigned for Leave in the 2016 referendum, told Theresa May he had stuck by her through “a series of undignified retreats” during the course of the negotiations, but the possibility of [...]
Software developers beat average UK salary by 154 per cent February 28, 2019 Top developers earn 154 per cent more than the average Brit, a report released today has revealed, with blockchain fuelling a rise in employer demand for such skills. Read more: Blockchain oil firm taps former JP Morgan director as new chief Software supremos command an average salary of £71,000 a year compared with the UK [...]
US and North Korea summit ends abruptly after talks between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un break down February 28, 2019 A summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has ended abruptly with no agreement reached. The pair were expected to conclude a second day of talks with a lunch and signing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam. Read more: Chinese stocks leap as Trump signals tariff increase delay South Korean shares fell [...]
MPs criticise government for ‘lack of transparency’ over £61m Nissan ‘sweetheart’ deal February 27, 2019 An influential group of MPs has today criticised the government for not telling parliament about the £61m offer it made to Nissan in a bid to persuade the car-maker to stay in the UK. Reports that the government was offering “financial assistance” to Nissan emerged in 2016 but were dismissed by Theresa May’s deputy spokesperson [...]
Sadiq Khan asks government for £5bn grant to protect housing from no-deal Brexit February 27, 2019 Sadiq Khan has asked the government to provide a £5.2bn emergency grant to to buffer housing in the capital from the negative effects of a no-deal Brexit. In a letter to the housing secretary, James Brokenshire, the mayor said he remained "deeply concerned" about the impact leaving the EU without a deal would have on London. [...]