French and Germany pressure may force IAG to spin off British Airways February 10, 2022 British Airways’ (BA) parent company IAG could be forced to spin off BA as Germany and France might push to reinstate EU ownership rules. According to HSBC analysts, IAG – who owns the likes of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling – might be forced to make BA a truly independent company as regulations require airlines [...]
SMEs need support February 10, 2022 Since April 2020, as the pandemic started to truly bite, we’ve been getting regular feedback from our UK members about the financial outlook of their SME clients through our monthly ACCA UK and Corporate Finance Network SME Recovery Tracker. The data provides an insightful picture of the ups and downs for SMEs. We’ve seen how [...]
Britain must finally decide on the fate of the Northern Ireland Brexit border February 9, 2022 Pity Liz Truss. Sharp-suited Chancellor Rishi Sunak fired the starting gun on the Tory leadership race last week with his put down of party-king Boris Johnson. He’s immediately seen as the favourite. Liz? Well, fresh from a bout of Covid, the Foreign Secretary has the small matter of trying to catch the Chancellor while sorting [...]
Is Bitcoin’s fighting start to February losing momentum? February 9, 2022 After a strong start to the week, the crypto markets dipped slightly yesterday. The Bitcoin price reached a four-week high of more than $45k on Monday, but it has dropped by about two per cent in the last 24 hours and is currently changing hands at around the $43,500 mark. Can it regain momentum? Over [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s promotion is a post-Brexit peace offering February 9, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg’s new cabinet role as the minister for Brexit opportunities will be welcome news for Tory Brexiteers and MPs on the party’s right. The appointment of Rees-Mogg, a Thatcherite and Brexiteer, in today’s reshuffle shows that Boris Johnson intends to accelerate the government’s efforts to shed EU regulation post-Brexit. There have been grumblings by [...]
Govt told: ‘Don’t overpromise but be honest’ about Brexit as red tape, costs and delays hit UK firms February 9, 2022 The public spending watchdog warned this morning that UK trade with the EU has been knocked by Brexit and businesses have faced higher costs, more paperwork and border delays since Britain’s withdrawal. A report by the Public Accounts Committee found that while it was difficult to untangle how much of the hit to trade since [...]
Partygate dying down: Boris Johnson heading to PMQs after tinkering top team as PM tries to regain grip on power February 9, 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face MPs after tinkering with his top team as he looks to stave off a confidence vote and lay the foundations for the next election battle. After months of being dogged by partygate allegations and a fresh controversy over his Jimmy Savile remarks, the Prime Minister opted to embark on [...]
Tougher post-Brexit border controls will lead to long delays at UK-EU border, MPs warn February 9, 2022 The rollout of stringent checks on Brits entering the EU after Brexit will lead to severe delays at the border, warns a new report published today by a group of cross-party MPs. An expected recovery from the depths of the pandemic in the volume of Brits heading to the Continent could lead to cars and [...]
More economists warn of cost of living crunch’s drag on UK growth February 8, 2022 The squeeze on households’ living standards from the cost of living crunch will drag on the UK economy this year, reveals fresh forecasts published today. A triple whammy of Inflation topping seven per cent, a heavier tax burden and swelling energy bills is set to erode consumers’ real incomes, prompting a pull back in spending, [...]
Get used to queueing at Dover, says Road Haulage Association February 8, 2022 HGV drivers better get comfortable as they need to prepare for four-hour long queues at ports, according to the Road Haulage Association. Post-Brexit, checks at Dover and across the Channel have become the new normal, causing mile-long bottlenecks and forcing authorities to implement traffic access protocols such as Dover TAP to avoid extreme congestion in [...]