It’s hubris to believe that we can or should reshape the economy September 6, 2018 On Wednesday, the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, fronted the final report of the IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice. It makes an interesting read, but is otherwise a completely over-the-top attack on current economic policy, with a wishlist of mainly unworkable policies attached. It begins with an examination of everything that the Commission – made [...]
Property-lending challenger firm Glenhawk lands £75m funding September 5, 2018 Short-term finance disruptor Glenhawk has secured £75m of funding in a sign of the UK’s rapidly growing alternative property-lending sector, City A.M. can reveal today. The latest cash injection from two UK institutions, one of which is Shawbrook Bank, comes six months after the specialist lender launched, having amassed a pipeline of £35m and lent over [...]
Miner ENRC victorious over Serious Fraud Office in ‘historic’ Court of Appeal battle on legal privilege September 5, 2018 Lawyers hailed ENRC’s Court of Appeal win over the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in a legal privilege case today as “fundamental to our legal system”. In today’s judgment the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision from May that compelled miner ENRC to hand over the results of an internal investigation into corruption, carried out by [...]
RBS prunes another 54 branches from its network of high street banks September 5, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland is to close another 54 branches, expecting to make 259 people redundant. The closures, which will take place in January, come after the announced closure of 162 branches, resulting in an expected 792 redundancies. They are a consequence of RBS deciding against spinning off two banks as a challenger bank operating [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland closes 54 branches with 258 jobs lost September 5, 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will cut its English and Welsh branch network in half in January with the loss of more than 250 jobs, in the latest move by a major high street lender to cut back their sprawling networks. RBS is closing 54 branches, leaving another 54, including six in London and the [...]
Brexit takes a toll on UK business confidence, despite services sector uplift September 5, 2018 The UK services sector experienced stronger rises in business activity and incoming new work in August, but faced falling business optimism due to uncertainty about the UK's political future. The IHS Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the services sector reached 54.3 in August, up from 53.5 in July and at its second-highest level since [...]
Housebuilder Berkeley warns UK housing market ‘lacks urgency’ September 5, 2018 Housebuilder Berkeley Group has warned of Brexit “headwinds” harming the UK housing market’s prospects for growth, with London and the south east particularly affected. However, it expects to post strong financial performance for the four months to the end of August, the construction firm said in a trading update it will share at its annual [...]
Lord Mervyn King labels Brexit preparations ‘incompetent’ September 5, 2018 Former Bank of England governor Lord Mervyn King has condemned the government’s Brexit preparations, claiming they leave the UK in a weak negotiating position. Calling plans to stockpile food and medicine in the event of a hard Brexit “incompetent”, the Brexit voter told the BBC that “a government that cannot take action to prevent some [...]
DEBATE: Would it be beneficial for the UK economy if Mark Carney stayed on as Bank of England governor? September 5, 2018 Would it be beneficial for the UK economy if Mark Carney stayed on as Bank of England governor? Katrina Usita, an economist at OMFIF, says YES. Uncertainty is the UK economy’s greatest problem. Mark Carney’s willingness to extend his term as Bank of England governor for another year assuages some of that, at least in [...]
Mark Carney says he is willing to stay on as Bank of England governor September 4, 2018 Mark Carney today said he is willing to do whatever he can to promote a smooth Brexit process when asked if he will stay on as Bank of England governor. Carney said he is "not in a position" to make an announcement today, but said he expects the Treasury to make an announcement "in due [...]