EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron rejects suggestions from mayor of London Boris Johnson and others that there could be two referendums February 22, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected suggestions that a "leave" vote in the forthcoming referendum on Britain's relationship with the European Union would lead to a second referendum, in an attack on London mayor Boris Johnson and other eurosceptics. Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Cameron said that campaigning for the UK to leave [...]
EU referendum: Citi says Brexit is 10 per cent more likely after mayor of London Boris Johnson backed Brexit February 22, 2016 Has London mayor Boris Johnson boosted the likelihood that Britain will leave the European Union? Analysts at the US investment bank Citi think so. In a note sent to clients today, Michael Saunders, head of European economics at Citi, and Tina Fordham, the bank's chief global political analyst, said they estimated the chances of the UK leaving [...]
Treasury Select Committee raises red flags after emails reveal Treasury meddling with Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) February 22, 2016 An influential group of MPs have today raised red flags over the independence of the government’s statistics watchdog, after multiple emails revealed that Treasury officials requested changes to descriptive text accompanying official forecasts. The Treasury Select Committee said in a new report out today that the emails “raise concerns about the terms of engagement” between the Office [...]
EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson faces tough questions from London Assembly over his decision to back Brexit February 22, 2016 London mayor Boris Johnson came under fire at Mayor's Question Time this morning at City Hall, as members of the London Assembly slammed his decision to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. Assembly members used a session set up to scrutinise Johnson's final budget as mayor to question him on his backing of Brexit, instead. Len Duvall, [...]
EU referendum: Full text of letter signed by FTSE 100 bosses backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s reform efforts is leaked February 22, 2016 It was first reported over the weekend that up to half of Britain's biggest businesses will voice their support for Prime Minister David Cameron's campaign to keep the UK in the European Union by putting their names to an open letter backing the reforms Cameron secured in Brussels last week. Now it looks like the full text [...]
EU referendum: London mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith back Brexit as City grandees call on City of London Corporation to stay neutral in run-up to referendum February 21, 2016 London mayor Boris Johnson declared his support for Britain leaving the European Union last night, in a move that exposed deep divisions in both the Tory Party and the capital. Johnson announced yesterday that he had “made up” his mind “after a great deal of heartache”, adding, “The last thing I wanted was to go [...]
UK bank results: Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) gearing up to post losses for full-year 2015 February 21, 2016 Two of Britain’s biggest banks are expected to post sharp losses this week when they report full-year results for 2015. Analysts say Standard Chartered will report significant losses amid steep restructuring costs, while Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) pre-empted the full-year results last month when it announced a so-called clean-up plan that would hit annual [...]
Lloyds Banking Group could pay out more than £2bn in dividends to shareholders despite fears of higher costs related to PPI claims February 21, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly getting ready to pay out more than £2bn in dividends to shareholders, despite fears of further costs related to the mis-selling of loan insurance. The Sunday Times reported today that Lloyds chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio is attempting to convince regulators that the bailed-out bank has enough capital to afford the [...]
Budget 2016: Former pensions minister Steve Webb warns Osborne will drop a “tax bombshell” with pensions overhaul February 21, 2016 Former pensions minister Steve Webb has warned that chancellor George Osborne is getting ready to drop a £4bn “extra tax bombshell” in next month’s Budget by getting rid of the so-called tax-free lump sum. Webb, who was pensions minister in the coalition and is now director of policy at Royal London, said today that existing [...]
EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron pleads with mayor of London Boris not to join with Ukip leader Nigel Farage and former Respect MP George Galloway February 21, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has made a last-ditch attempt to woo mayor of London Boris Johnson into campaigning for Britain to remain in the European Union, pleading for the mayor's support on live national television this morning. "I'd say to Boris as I say to everyone else – we will be safer, stronger, better off inside [...]
