Wetherspoons limits parents to two alcoholic drinks January 24, 2020 Wetherspoons pubs have told parents to stick to two drinks if they have their children with them. The pub chain said it is a staff guideline and applies to pubs across the country to deter “unruly behaviour”. The rule was first publicised by the Robert Pocock pub in Gravesend, Kent last Sunday. A poster at [...]
Opinion: ‘Boris bounce’ made you want to sell your home? Do these three things first January 24, 2020 I view on average 500 properties per year, and have purchased homes for more than 300 clients. During the past 13 years I have seen some sellers get it right, and others pitch their homes horribly wrong. Sellers are feeling re-energised post-election, and with greater certainty around Brexit, we’ve seen a flurry of properties come [...]
UK PMI: Economy climbs to 16-month high, leaving rate cut less likely January 24, 2020 The UK economy has returned to growth in January, according to a flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reading, hitting a 16-month high as the Bank of England weighs up whether or not to cut UK interest rates. The flash IHS Markit / CIPS composite PMI reading for the UK hit 52.4 in January, up from [...]
Businesses need to be heard on immigration January 24, 2020 Over the last few years, the Home Office has managed to preside over the Windrush debacle, been forced to apologise for a heavy-handed refusal to issue visas because of minor administrative errors, and admitted that it has no idea of how many customs agents it has. It is, in short, a department in which things [...]
Boris can lead a Conservative council housing revolution January 24, 2020 With Boris Johnson now undisputed world king of the post-Brexit scene, the only relevant policy debates are those going on inside the government itself. These are yielding unusual fruit. Esther McVey, a deep-dyed Thatcherite and an advocate of blue-collar Conservatism, has been arguing for more council housing. The housing minister wants to help those “left [...]
Good riddance to the £30,000 immigration salary threshold January 24, 2020 Brexit is coming, in exactly one week’s time. Now it is on to the details — and no area is more crucial to Britain’s future prosperity, nor more associated with the EU debate, than immigration. There are real dangers if we get the new rules wrong. It was therefore a relief to read reports this [...]
Business groups: Post-Brexit immigration system must suit firms January 24, 2020 Britain’s biggest business groups have offered the government their help in designing the post-Brexit immigration system amid fears that a more closed-off system could hurt UK firms. They warned that the new system must provide “access to the labour and skills needed to support the economy” in an open letter to home secretary Priti Patel. [...]
Government urged to delay US extradition of Autonomy founder Mike Lynch January 23, 2020 Former Brexit secretary David Davis has urged the home secretary to block the extradition of Autonomy founder Mike Lynch to the US until after the verdict of a UK civil trial is announced. The US is seeking to extradite Lynch to stand trial on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy related to the [...]
Davos Diary: Day 4 January 23, 2020 Today I woke to another bright and crisp day in the Swiss Alps. My first port of call was a session with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. He was tight-lipped on the hot story of the day – the alleged hacking of Jeff Bezos’s mobile by the Saudi Crown Prince – saying he would need [...]
Chancellor pledges shift on capitalism but promises not to ‘abandon ship’ January 23, 2020 Chancellor Sajid Javid has said a new “balance” between capitalism and people is needed in the UK, but promised that the government is not “abandoning ship”. Speaking at the CBI lunch in Davos today, Javid told business leaders there was a “new chapter” opening under Boris Johnson’s majority government, which yesterday finally passed the key [...]