Exclusive: Growing divide in Boris Johnson’s Brexit unit over trade deal extension April 22, 2020 There is a growing divide in opinion within the government’s Brexit trade deal negotiating unit over whether to seek an extension to the 31 December deadline during the coronavirus crisis. Civil servants are increasingly frustrated that the government refuses to countenance the idea of an extension, while political appointees are keen to press home the [...]
A letter from France: Coronabonds are inevitable April 22, 2020 The coronavirus outbreak has led, perhaps understandably, to countries becoming more inward looking in an effort to try to contain the impact on the virus on their economies and societies. But once the fog has lifted and the reconstruction efforts begins, solidarity, rather than nationalism will be the name of the game. While the idea may shock our British cousins, and give them another reason [...]
UK coronavirus outbreak has reached peak, says health secretary Matt Hancock April 22, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed today that that the UK coronavirus outbreak has reached its peak. Speaking in the House of Commons today, Hancock confirmed that the pandemic had hit its peak in the UK and that new cases were starting to drop. “As we reach – have reached the peak – and as we [...]
It’s official: Coronavirus killed UK house prices’ Brexit recovery April 22, 2020 Signs of recovery in UK house prices at the start of the year have been brought to an abrupt halt by the coronavirus crisis. Figures from the Land Registry and the ONS show inflation fell back to 1.1 per cent in February after climbing to an eight-month high of 1.5 per cent in January. The [...]
Government issued ‘Corona Bonds’ are inevitable. Could blockchain provide the answer to efficiency and transparency of their issue? April 21, 2020 Price Watch The crypto market has had a positive week with the total market cap once again heading north of the US$200bn mark and at the time of writing, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at US$7,050.62 / GB£5,685.18; Ethereum (ETH) is at US$179.39 / GB£144.70; Ripple (XRP) is at US$0.1894 / GB£0.1520; Binance (BNB) is at [...]
Increasing numbers of EU citizens wrongly denied Universal Credit, says lobby group April 20, 2020 Some EU nationals living in the UK are being wrongly denied access to benefits during the coronavirus crisis, according to an advocacy group for EU citizens. Lobby group the3million, created to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, has said that EU citizens eligible for Universal Credit have been turned down and [...]
Coronavirus: London finance jobseekers surge by 43 per cent April 20, 2020 The number of London finance professionals seeking employment has surged over 40 per cent in the first three months of 2020 even as coronavirus hit salaries and vacancies, new data showed today. Jobseekers in the UK finance industry rocketed 43 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2019, according to Morgan McKinley’s Spring London [...]
Coronavirus: Here comes the startup chancellor April 20, 2020 Startups are the economy’s ‘department for the future.’ Their job is to future-proof all the other sectors – from retail and banking through ecommerce to public services. They are vital to the UK’s post-Brexit, post-Covid-19 future. They are also among its most vulnerable. Look up ‘start-up’ in the Cambridge Dictionary and the first example of [...]
Sterling falls hard against dollar as UK prepares to extend lockdown April 16, 2020 The pound fell sharply against the dollar this afternoon as the UK looked set to extend its lockdown for a further three weeks despite signs that the peak of the coronavirus pandemic was nearing. The prospect of a further extension, which will keep the country under restrictive measures until early May at least, saw sterling [...]
UK would ‘say no’ to EU request for extension of Brexit trade talks April 16, 2020 The UK will refuse any request for a Brexit trade deal extension by the EU, according to the Prime Minister’s official spokesman. On a call to journalists today, the spokesman reiterated the governmnt’s position, saying that an extension to the 31 December deadline would hamper the UK’s longterm response to the coronavirus crisis. UK chief [...]