British businesses mull ‘onshoring’ supply chains in response to soaring costs June 5, 2023 Snags in international supply chains lingering on from the Covid-19 pandemic are steering mid-sized businesses toward bringing their production lines back to the UK, a new survey out last night showed. Research by consultancy BDO found just under 50 per cent of the 500 firms they surveyed are considering “onshoring” as much of their operations [...]
London seals European finance investment crown every year since Brexit June 5, 2023 London is beating away the dire warnings that Brexit would knock it off its perch as Europe’s top finance hive and is even drawing in more investors amid high inflation and interest rates, a new report out today unveils. Foreign investors pumped cash into 46 financial services projects in the capital last year, up from [...]
Retailers urge rethink on net zero ‘grocery tax’ as public blame Brexit for rising costs June 4, 2023 Top retailers have urged the government to rethink plans for green levies to fund the recycling of food packaging in a bid to avoid a further rise in spiralling food costs. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned the scheme, dubbed the ‘net zero grocery tax’, could push up shopping bills by up to £4bn [...]
Car industry: Throwing money at the issue won’t solve UK’s post Brexit problems, think tank warns June 2, 2023 The UK must not enter a subsidy race with the US and EU to save its auto industry from problems such as a flagging electric vehicle (EV) segment and a post-Brexit drop in investment, an influential Tory think tank has warned. A new report from the centre-right Policy Exchange argues that targeted government subsidies will [...]
Gordon Brown leads new campaign for radical UK reform – with focus away from London June 1, 2023 A group of leading Labour politicians has banded together to campaign for reform of the UK – with the focus on political and economic centres outside of London. Led by former prime minister Gordon Brown, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Scottish Labour leader Anas [...]
Explainer: Who is to blame for the decline of British universities? June 1, 2023 It’s not a great time to be a university in the UK. First came Brexit, with its impact on European students who now prefer destinations like the Netherlands, which are much cheaper and still provide top-notch education. Then came the pandemic, with remote lectures and enraged students asking for their money back. Now, the government [...]
Interview: Lastminute.com founder Brent Hoberman on why it’s time Britain embraced risk again June 1, 2023 Lastminute.com founder and serial entrepreneur Brent Hoberman tells Charlie Conchie why Britain must embrace risk and regain its entrepreneurial spirit.
The UK should care about workers who emigrate to avoid a painful brain drain June 1, 2023 Our government worries so much about immigration, and yet doesn't consider how many Brits might be thinking about leaving our shores. It could lead to a dangerous brain drain, writes John Oxley
Consumer Duty: High street banks prepare for major regulatory shakeup as clock ticks down May 31, 2023 Banks in the UK have just two months to prepare for the incoming Consumer Duty, with some prominent bankers suggesting the new regulatory standards will prompt widespread changes in the industry. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) flagship Consumer Duty, which will come into effect on 31 July, requires firms to deliver good outcomes for retail [...]
Starmer says Britain’s Brexit future is OUTSIDE of the EU under Labour May 31, 2023 Britain’s future is outside the EU, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he promised to make Brexit work. Writing in the Daily Express newspaper, Sir Keir – who campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum – also said he would not be seeking a return to freedom of movement. The comments are Sir [...]