Foreign aid isn’t charity, it’s an investment in our own prosperity December 15, 2020 When he announced his decision to cut UK foreign aid spending from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GDP, chancellor Rishi Sunak, argued that the sum was hard to justify to the British people during a pandemic. In fact, it is not so hard. Aid is not charity, and its benefits are neither [...]
S&P: No-deal Brexit could threaten UK credit rating December 14, 2020 The UK’s credit rating could come under pressure if there is a no-deal Brexit that badly dents the country’s economic recovery, ratings agency S&P Global has said. It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged to extend Brexit talks beyond Sunday. The pound rose sharply today amid [...]
Capital Punishment: London to enter Tier 3 on Wednesday December 14, 2020 London is set to enter Tier 3 from midnight tomorrow, as the government scrambles to contain a sharp spike in coronavirus cases in the capital. The capital will enter the highest level of restrictions at 0.01am on Wednesday morning, the health secretary has announced. Parts of Essex and Hertfordshire including Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Epping Forest [...]
FTSE 100 lags but pound jumps as markets weigh Brexit latest December 14, 2020 The FTSE 100 lagged behind its European peers as the pound rose the most in nearly two months after the UK and EU agreed to extend post-Brexit trade talks. Elsewhere, stocks climbed strongly amid signs of progress in US stimulus talks, and as the country prepared to roll out the first coronavirus vaccines. London’s main [...]
Professional recruitment market ‘remains resilient’ despite vacancy fall December 14, 2020 Despite the looming uncertainly of Brexit and the disruption of a second national lockdown, the annual percentage drop in job hiring closed during November, suggesting the sector is fairing considerably well. According to data provided by growth analytics platform Cube19, in October, the year-on-year fall in professional job vacancies stood at -38 per cent for [...]
Michel Barnier warns MEPS of short no-deal Brexit period even if deal closed this year December 14, 2020 Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has warned MEPs today that there could still be a short period where the UK and EU have to operate on no-deal terms even if a trade deal is struck before 31 December. Barnier reportedly told an emergency meeting with MEPs this morning that there may not be enough [...]
Britain has ‘most to lose from Brexit’, says French finance minister December 14, 2020 The French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has said that he believes the UK has more to lose from Brexit than the EU. “The British people will be the biggest losers from Brexit … Brexit, to use an expression of the late John Le Carre is a political, economic and historical folly,” Le Maire told France info radio. Le [...]
Liz Truss officially signs UK-Switzerland services deal December 14, 2020 International trade secretary Liz Truss has today signed a rollover services agreement with the Swiss government that will ensure UK companies and professionals can work in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year. The deal, closed two weeks ago, will benefit industries such as financial services, legal services, consultancy, the tech sector and the creative [...]
Brexit will not affect UK vaccine supplies, says business secretary December 14, 2020 UK Business Secretary said that a no-deal Brexit will not affect supplies of the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine.
City of London to host ‘back to work’ week in bid to revive Square Mile December 14, 2020 The City of London will call on office workers to return to the Square Mile in a “back to work” week in April, in a bid to help resuscitate the bars, restaurants and hospitality venues hammered by empty streets during the pandemic. William Russell, lord mayor of London and a former Merrill Lynch investment banker, [...]