Musk denies rumours of James Murdoch as lead candidate for Tesla chairman October 11, 2018 Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has denied reports that 21st Century Fox chief and Tesla board member James Murdoch is the lead candidate to replace him as chairman of the electric carmaker. In response to a report by the Financial Times late last night that Murdoch was the favourite to take the top spot, Musk tweeted at [...]
Blockchain, Brexit, and the Irish border – how technology can help to solve this delicate problem October 11, 2018 With less than six months to go until Brexit, one of the biggest sticking points in the negotiations between Britain and the European Union remains undoubtedly the issue of the Irish border. If the UK does decide to leave the EU’s single market and customs union, it will become necessary to control and monitor goods [...]
Theresa May’s crude policy is the wrong way to manage immigration October 11, 2018 The government's announcement of a new immigration policy post-Brexit has at least the merit of providing a clearer sense of direction – assuming Brexit happens and does so in a reasonably orderly way (which are some big “ifs”). The news also provides an opportunity to think, from first principles, what a sensible immigration policy should [...]
IMF data shows there’s even less cash to splash October 11, 2018 Positive news around the public finances has been forthcoming in 2018, following years of disappointingly slow deficit reduction. Borrowing fell to a 16-year low in the fiscal year that ended in April, while in July the Treasury recorded its biggest surplus since 2000. Thus it was a shame to be brought crashing back down to [...]
Tesco boss Dave Lewis tells court of ‘shock’ at discovery of accounts misstatement October 11, 2018 Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis told Southwark Crown Court today of his “genuine shock” at being presented with an internal memo detailing a £250m misstatement in the supermarket giant’s accounts. Lewis, a witness at the fraud trial of Tesco’s ex-managing director Chris Bush and ex-UK food commercial director John Scouler, said he was presented with [...]
Surveyors forecast fall in house prices as house buyers decline October 11, 2018 A renewed decline in the number of house buyers is piling further pressure on London’s strained property market, according to a closely followed survey out today. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has said there was “caution” from buyers last month, as Bank of England governor Mark Carney reportedly warned prices could drop 35 [...]
Theresa May launches consultation into forcing firms to report ethnicity pay figures October 11, 2018 KPMG, WPP and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are among a number of businesses to have signed up to a new charter by Theresa May that aims to improve the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees. Alongside the charter the Prime Minister has also launched a consultation into mandatory ethnicity pay reporting, following last [...]
Michel Barnier tells UK to abandon free trade plans to get Brexit deal October 10, 2018 Theresa May must abandon her plans for free trade deals with the rest of the world in order to get a Brexit deal, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said yesterday. Speaking in Brussels, Barnier said a full customs union between the UK and the EU would solve the controversial Irish backstop issue as no [...]
DUP will vote down Budget if Theresa May compromises in Brexit talks October 10, 2018 DUP MPs are prepared to vote down this month's Budget if Theresa May breaks any of the party's red lines in the Brexit talks, it has been reported. The Northern Ireland party's 10 MPs keep May in power thanks a to a 'confidence and supply' deal agreed after the 2017 General Election. But as time [...]
Dominic Raab slams David Davis’ Brexit plan as a ‘shortcut to no deal’ October 9, 2018 Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has dubbed his predecessor's negotiating strategy "a shortcut to no deal" as the Tory war of words over Europe escalated. Raab made the comments after former Brexit secretary David Davis sent a letter to every Tory MP urging them to back a Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU, or face [...]