Editor’s notes: Does Trump’s victory provide opportunities for the UK? Maybe November 10, 2016 One benefit of Trump’s shock victory is that it makes the Brexit vote look like a council by-election in comparison. The world is now used to the idea that over the next two years the UK will slip the surly bonds of Brussels, and although the full details of that plan aren’t fully understood it’s the [...]
Trumpism will clash with economic reality November 10, 2016 Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It also heralded the ascendancy to the world’s most powerful office of a man whose most famous campaign pledge is to construct a massive wall along the length of America’s southern border. “We’re going to build it,” declared Trump, “and Mexico’s going to [...]
The Brexit vote has revealed Jeremy Corbyn’s irrelevance November 7, 2016 The weekend brought a deluge of reaction to Thursday’s High Court ruling on Article 50. Everyone from renowned legal experts to armchair constitutionalists weighed in on what the ruling meant for Theresa May and whether the judges had made the right call. Under normal circumstances, the voice of the Leader of the Opposition would be prominent [...]
Editor’s notes: Think Brexit voters were just angry? Think again. November 4, 2016 The hot topic of the day is the process of Brexit. With the High Court ruling in favour of those who claimed that the government lacks the constitutional authority to trigger Article 50 without parliamentary approval, it’s an absolute field day for legal commentators and armchair constitutionalists. Those who cry that the judgement represents “a [...]
Brexit scare stories are haunting the City October 30, 2016 The cobwebs falling from the windows of pubs and shops in the City are much more likely to be Halloween decorations than an indication that businesses have abandoned the Square Mile in the wake of Brexit. Nevertheless, post-referendum scare stories hang thick in the air. Project Fear takes on a new meaning at this time [...]
Editor’s notes: Brexit has damaged economists, not the economy October 28, 2016 A couple of years ago I interviewed Saatchi & Saatchi’s global CEO, Robert Senior. As we discussed possible future advertising trends he said “my problem with futurologists is that they’re never held to account”. He meant that predictions of what life will be like in 100 years are very hard to hold up in front [...]
Brexit doesn’t mean the end of the City October 24, 2016 Thirty years ago this week, the City of London underwent a transformation that would set it on a path to global dominance in financial services. The Big Bang, as it became known, was enabled by new technology, regulatory reform, political will and entrepreneurial endeavour. Over the ensuing three decades, the City came to represent the [...]
Editor’s diary: Threats to the City’s dominance come from home and abroad October 21, 2016 This week one of our front page stories caused quite a stir in parliament. Wednesday's paper reported on the growing levels of unease in the City regarding the way in which some people in government view financial services and its place in upcoming Brexit negotiations. We quoted a number of senior sources, all of whom [...]
Financial services need attention, not favours October 19, 2016 In the first episode of the Great British Bake Off one of the presenters, Sue Perkins, asks a contestant what he does for a living. “I work in the City as a client service associate,” came the reply, to which Perkins responded “basically a banker” before making a joke about the global financial crisis. Unfortunately, [...]
Theresa May is angering both Leavers and Remainers October 17, 2016 Theresa May’s approach to Brexit has proved immensely frustrating to those who found themselves on the losing side of the referendum debate. This frustration, based at first on the idea that the government lacked any kind of plan, is turning into despair at the realisation that the PM does not intend to give any ground [...]
