Chancellor Philip Hammond refuses to rule out resigning after a no-deal Brexit January 25, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has refused to say that he would not resign if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal. Speaking at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos the chancellor said the government is looking for a deal with the European Union which will allow Britain to continue trading closely with [...]
The view from the slopes: This year’s Davos was stuck in aspic January 25, 2019 Leading up to Davos, all the talk was about the notable absentees. As high-profile delegates fell like dominoes, this year’s World Economic Forum looked in danger of becoming a damp squib. But something has been here, and people have been trying hard to pretend it isn’t. It’s the elephant, or even elephants, in the room. [...]
‘No deal’ would be a betrayal of Leave voters’ hopes, warns Philip Hammond January 24, 2019 Leaving the EU without a deal would be a betrayal of the people who voted Leave in the hope of a better future, Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned as pressure grew on Theresa May to rule out exiting the bloc without an agreement. Just days before parliament resumes voting on Brexit, ministers, business leaders and trade [...]
Apprenticeship levels up on last year but still hampered by 2017 levy January 24, 2019 More people started apprenticeships in the first quarter of the 2018-19 academic year than in the year before, but are still below equivalent figures reported in 2016-17 and 2015-16. There were 132,000 starts between August and October last year, up 15.4 per cent year-on-year from 114,300, according to Department for Education (DfE) figures published this [...]
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 [...]
EU digital tax could be agreed by March, says French finance minister Bruno Le Maire January 20, 2019 The European Union could reach an agreement on details of a digital tax by the end of March, the French finance minister has said. Talks among EU ministers aimed at aligning the taxation of online businesses broke down in December. A number of smaller member states, including Ireland, Sweden and Denmark, opposed the plan and [...]
Hammond tells business chiefs no deal could be ‘taken off the table’ on leaked conference call January 17, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has told business chiefs a no deal Brexit could be “taken off the table” and Article 50 rescinded, according to a leaked conference call transcript. In a conversation with 11 business leaders after Theresa May’s deal was defeated in parliament on Tuesday night, Hammond said the result led to two issues. Firstly, [...]
Business titans tell ministers ‘next six months are critical’ in post-Brexit vote conference call January 16, 2019 Some of the UK’s highest-flying executives reportedly lashed out at the government after its historic defeat on Theresa May’s Brexit deal in parliament yesterday. The bosses of Balfour Beatty, Amazon and Tesco confronted cabinet members who failed to rule out a no-deal Brexit following the government’s massive defeat in a heated conference call immediately after [...]
A year on from Carillion: 12 months that brought outsourcing to its knees January 15, 2019 On the anniversary of Carillion’s dramatic collapse, two more public sector outsourcing giants, Interserve and Kier Group, are up against the ropes. In the intervening 12 months, outsourcers have lurched from one crisis to another, with profit warnings, massive project failures and revelations of systemic late payment of suppliers. City A.M. charts a year which [...]
Fears over business rates mount as Britain’s major retailers prepare to form action group January 13, 2019 Some of Britain’s biggest retailers are coming together in an urgent bid to seek business rates relief from the government, City A.M. has learned. Around 50 major high street names are joining a mass lobbying effort to curb forthcoming rises in their property tax, as profits plunge in the face of falling sales and online [...]