One referendum fractured the UK – a second could shatter it September 21, 2018 Who wants a second Brexit referendum? Everyone, it would seem these days. The Czech and Maltese Prime Ministers called for one yesterday at the EU summit in Salzburg. According to Brussels gossip, the UK negotiators have been hampered by whispers that it is possible to get fickle Britain to change its mind. And, indeed, Vince Cable [...]
Price wars versus trade wars: Markets work just fine when we leave them alone September 21, 2018 David Lewis is ramping up a food fight of epic proportions. The chief executive of Tesco has launched a spin-off chain of discount supermarkets called Jack’s (named after Tesco’s founder Jack Cohen). The aim is to become more competitive with German chains Aldi and Lidl, which have been saturating the market with cheaper products since [...]
Africa deserves more optimism and attention from City investors September 21, 2018 In Johannesburg last month, the Prime Minister set a new ambition for the UK to be the largest G7 foreign direct investor in Africa by 2022. Achieving that ambition won’t be easy, but for UK investors who are prepared to change their attitudes and look beyond the easy choices, there are great opportunities. I was privileged [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for rail re-nationalisation in wake of timetable chaos September 20, 2018 London mayor Sadiq Khan has joined calls for the railways to be re-nationalised following a damning review into industry's timetable chaos in May. Today the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), published the review that transport secretary Chris Grayling ordered in the summer when the full scale of the damage caused by the timetable overhaul became [...]
Theresa May’s Brexit plan ‘will not work’ says EU in devastating blow to PM September 20, 2018 Theresa May was dealt a humiliating blow on Thursday as EU leaders dismissed her flagship Chequers proposal and sent her back to the drawing board. In a dramatic day in Salzburg, European Commission President Donald Tusk plunged the knife into the UK's Brexit offer, saying bluntly: "It will not work". The EU leaders gathered in Austria [...]
David Davis: ‘Antagonistic’ Germans want to punish UK for Brexit September 20, 2018 David Davis today branded Germany an "antagonist" as he accused the European powerhouse of wanting to punish the UK for Brexit. In a speech in Munich, the former Brexit secretary launched a scathing attack on the UK's "continental friends", singling out German politicians for wanting to see Britain fail after it leaves the EU. Read more: [...]
Trump slams Opec, urging oil cartel to ‘get prices down now’ September 20, 2018 Donald Trump has slammed the Opec and urged the cartel to “get prices down”, citing the protection the US provides for countries in the Middle East. Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to increase oil production in recent months to combat higher oil prices brought about by his own sanctions on Iran. He has also previously [...]
Trolley wars: Drastic Dave’s no-frills move must hit the Jackpot for shareholders September 20, 2018 Tesco took a cheap shot at budget retailers Aldi and Lidl yesterday, launching its own discounter chain, Jack’s. Chief executive Dave Lewis opened the first store in a mothballed former Tesco outlet in the small Cambridgeshire town of Chatteris yesterday, with another 10 to 15 launches in the pipeline. The chain is named after Tesco founder [...]
Don’t let Brexit or political differences create a hostile office environment September 20, 2018 Facebook is “a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views”, according to a post from Brian Amerige on an internal online group at the social media company called “FBers for Political Diversity”. Amerige claims that although the US company presents itself as welcoming all political perspectives, in reality anyone with a view that opposed left-leaning [...]
US-China trade war: Alibaba founder Jack Ma breaks 1m US jobs pledge September 20, 2018 Alibaba boss Jack Ma no longer believes his retail giant can create 1m US jobs, blaming America’s ongoing trade war with China. "The promise was made on the premise of friendly US-China partnership and rational trade relations," Ma said. "That premise no longer exists today, so our promise cannot be fulfilled,” he told Chinese news [...]