MPs gear up for fight with Theresa May over Single Market access October 10, 2016 MPs are gearing up for a fight with Theresa May over access to the EU’s Single Market, as the government prepares for a series of legal battles over its right to take Brexit decisions alone. May has come under fire from senior backbenchers and business groups after a Conservative Party conference that saw the Prime Minister suggest [...]
Just 14 per cent of firms have a formal mental health policy, according to the IoD October 10, 2016 Just over one in ten businesses have implemented a formal mental health policy, despite a huge majority recognising the importance wellbeing, new figures show. A survey of more than 800 business leaders by the IoD found that only 13 per cent of businesses had created plans to support good mental health, similar to health and [...]
Two government ministers have now suggested the government is in retreat over Amber Rudd’s foreign workers plan October 9, 2016 Two government ministers have confirmed a dramatic retreat on forcing firms to publish proportions of non-UK staff in their workforce. Home secretary Amber Rudd revealed the plans at the Conservative party conference last week, additionally suggesting the government could “name and shame” companies with a predominantly migrant staff. Rudd had hoped the plan could "flush out" [...]
The Treasury is to host challenger bank bosses for a post-Brexit summit October 9, 2016 Challenger bank bosses will head to Whitehall tomorrow to lobby the Treasury for better treatment for small institutions. In their first talks since the UK's Brexit vote, lenders will meet City minister Simon Kirby today. According to Sky News, bosses from banks including Aldermore, OneSavings Bank, Secure Trust Bank and Shawbrook will all attend. The banks [...]
Two Labour whips have resigned in the aftermath of the first appointments to Jeremy Corbyn’s new shadow cabinet October 9, 2016 Two Labour party whips have resigned in the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn's first appointments as the re-selected party leader. Corbyn began rebuilding his team last month with the recruitment of Jonathan Reynolds as the new shadow city minister, and has since made a raft of new appointments. However, this included a new chief whip in the [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond has raided HSBC for a new special adviser October 9, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond has recruited HSBC's chief European economist as a key adviser. Karen Ward will join the Treasury to serve as Hammond's special economic adviser. Prior to joining the government, Ward had been at HSBC for more than a decade, and her appointment comes as Hammond prepares for his first fiscal event as chancellor [...]
A Lib Dem peer has defected to the Conservatives because of Tim Farron’s support for retaining EU membership October 9, 2016 Concerns around the Liberal Democrats' pro-European stance under Tim Farron have driven one of the party's peers to defect to the Conservatives. Baroness Manzoor announced her decision this morning, praising Theresa May's approach to the verdict of the June referendum. Farron has sought to make the Lib Dems the party of the 48 per cent [...]
Philip Hammond heads for Wall Street to reassure banking giants October 6, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond is to meet with bosses from a raft of Wall Street banks in a bid to stress the UK's desire to protect the financial services sector in the aftermath of Brexit. Hammond arrived in the US last night, where he will attend the IMF's annual meeting of finance ministers later this week. [...]
Theresa May hit by a business backlash over her Conservative party conference speech October 5, 2016 Prime minister Theresa May was lambasted by business groups and policy wonks yesterday for a speech that laid bare an interventionist economic policy and a heavy-handed approach to business reform. May used her closing speech at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham to pledge action against “dysfunctional” markets and to slam the so-called liberal metropolitan elite. [...]
Equivalence can’t trump passporting, warns boss of bank trade body October 5, 2016 Many of the alternatives to passporting would not allow the financial sector to continue business as usual, the chief executive of the British Bankers' Association has warned. Writing in his monthly newsletter, Anthony Browne noted that the passporting rules have "been a key factor in enabling the UK to grow as the financial capital of Europe". [...]
