Trade minister Liam Fox says it is ‘impossible’ to say whether a Brexit deal will be achieved this month or next November 6, 2018 International trade minister Liam Fox has admitted that it is impossible to say whether a Brexit deal can be reached with the European Union in the next two months, as negotiations continued to stall over the Irish backstop. Asked by Reuters whether a Brexit deal will be struck this month Fox said: “That’s impossible for me [...]
Ofgem’s energy price cap to come into effect from new year, but critics say switching is still more effective November 6, 2018 Ofgem's energy price cap is set to come into force from 1 January, the regulator said today. But consumer groups have warned it is a “temporary fix” that could put customers off switching between providers to find the cheapest deals. Ofgem said the cap, announced in September, will reduce £1bn in overcharging on gas and electricity [...]
Pound hits two-week high as markets grow optimistic over Brexit deal November 6, 2018 The pound hit a two-week high today as the markets expressed optimism that a Brexit deal is close. Sterling rose as high as 1.308 against the dollar this morning, its highest since 18 October, following a report from The Times that the EU was set to agree to compromise over the thorny issue of the Irish [...]
Forget Trump, the midterms are about populism November 6, 2018 When the results of the US midterms start to come in this evening, some here in the UK will roll their eyes and think “what a crazy country”. Others will wonder why Britain and America are such anomalies with Brexit and Trump, and wish that we could be more like, say, Germany. The truth is [...]
From artificial intelligence to quantum computing, Britain is a tech superpower November 6, 2018 Thousands of leaders from across the tech industry are descending on Lisbon this week for the annual international Web Summit. I’m excited to be here to champion the success of British tech to a global audience of investors and entrepreneurs. Britain is unmatched in Europe at producing tech-savvy, billion-dollar businesses. Last week, banking startup Monzo [...]
Bitcoin scam: Blue-tick Twitter accounts hacked to push bitcoin scams under Elon Musk’s name November 6, 2018 Verified Twitter accounts were hacked yesterday by scammers who masqueraded as billionaire Elon Musk in an attempt to persuade users to part with bitcoins. Fashion firm Matalan, film distributor Pathe UK and Panthoen Books, a publishing house, were all hacked by scammers who proceeded to use promoted tweets to send their adverts out far and [...]
Truce or dare: A Trump stunt, or the end of the US-China trade war? November 6, 2018 Last Thursday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to tell the world that trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping were “moving along nicely”. His words prompted a rise in Asian stock markets; the Shanghai Composite index climbed by almost 2.7 per cent during trading on Friday, and the Hang Seng surged by about 4.2 per cent, [...]
Which way for markets? It’s all about the midterms November 6, 2018 Americans will cast their vote in the US midterm elections today, and the results will set the tone for stock markets around the world. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, while 35 of the 100 Senate seats will be on offer too. The big picture result will centre around [...]
Work should pay – for both high and low earners November 6, 2018 In a tense standoff with Labour MP Wes Streeting last night, chancellor Philip Hammond defended his decision to reduce the burden of income tax in the autumn Budget. The argument, played out in front of the Treasury Select Committee, was classic Tory v Labour fare. Streeting demanded to know why Hammond was cutting taxes instead of [...]
Hammond spies end of UK’s deficit despite Budget spending increase November 5, 2018 Chancellor Philip Hammond has said he believes the government’s target of eliminating the UK’s deficit is “within touching distance”, despite ramping up public spending and tax cuts in the Budget. Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee this evening, Hammond denied his 2016 plans to reach a budget surplus by the mid-2020s had been abandoned. However, he [...]