The inside story of how the London Stock Exchange’s mega merger with Deutsche Boerse was suddenly derailed by Brussels February 27, 2017 Everything seemed to be going so smoothly. Nearly a year after the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse unveiled their latest attempt to merge, many City folk gave the £21bn deal a respectable chance of success. "Better than 50 per cent," one high-profile Square Mile executive said at a lunch earlier this month. The European Commission [...]
Labour is still embroiled in a decades-long battle to decide what it stands for February 27, 2017 Nearly 60 years ago Denis Healey delivered a speech to the Labour party conference that has since become famous among Britain’s left-leaning political activists and commentators. Labour had just suffered a bruising third-straight General Election defeat, with the Conservatives storming to a three-figure majority under the leadership of Harold Macmillan. “There are far too many [...]
Brazen French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron tells London – I want your banks to move to Paris after Brexit February 21, 2017 French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to lure banks from London to Paris in the aftermath of Brexit, striking a bullish and undiplomatic tone during a visit to Downing Street. "I was very happy to see that some academics and researchers in the UK because of Brexit are considering coming to France [...]
The EU mustn’t shoot itself in the foot – euro clearing thrives in London February 21, 2017 Brexit has presented EU leaders with something of a quandary: should they punish the UK in a bid to preserve their political union, or, in doing so, do they risk shooting themselves in the foot? To put it another way – will they allow politics to trump economics? In the immediate aftermath of last June’s EU [...]
Many City bosses disapprove of Trump’s presidency, but would be happy to see Dodd-Frank reformed February 13, 2017 President Donald Trump has finally appointed a Treasury Secretary, with former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin confirmed by the Senate last night. Mnuchin joins former Goldman Sachs number two Gary Cohn who has been filling the vacuum since becoming Trump’s head of the National Economic Council, and is believed to have already exerted broad influence [...]
If we cannot build on the green belt, then we must build up and build faster in inner city parts of the capital February 8, 2017 Has there ever been a more opportune time to reform the UK’s exceptionally strict rules against building on the so-called “green belt”? Huge swathes of protected land surround cities and towns such as London, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham and Manchester. Soaring house prices and rental costs in these areas have prompted a sea change in people’s [...]
Bosses should speak out on political events February 1, 2017 Business and their top executives are understandably nervous about jumping into political storms. Speaking out during times of unrest holds many risks. People disagreeing with your view are quick to encourage boycotts on social media, while an army of risk-averse corporate PR men and women will warn their bosses of potential harm to a company’s [...]
US President Donald Trump says he’ll negotiate trade deal with the UK himself January 27, 2017 US President Donald Trump says he will personally discuss the framework for a post-Brexit trade deal with Prime Minister Theresa May today, having failed to appoint a commerce secretary since moving into the White House. “I’m meeting with the PM tomorrow but I don’t have my commerce secretary and they wanna talk trade – so I’ll [...]
Now is the time for new coalitions in the Brexit debate January 25, 2017 We live in topsy-turvy times. Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping recently emerged as the world’s unlikely flag-bearer for global capitalism, telling dignitaries in Davos: “Pursuing protectionism is just like locking oneself in a dark room: wind and rain might be kept outside but so are light and air.” Xi’s pleasingly poetic and [...]
Australian overtures are welcome – but post-Brexit trade deals will not be plain sailing January 23, 2017 Aussie diplomat Alexander Downer has become the latest foreign politician to propose a quick trade deal post-Brexit, insisting over the weekend the two countries could trigger a "significant intensification" of trade by tearing down barriers. His positive, liberal words are extremely welcome, and echo a sentiment already heard from the likes of New Zealand's Prime Minister [...]
