A Brexit deal is within Boris’ reach October 17, 2019 Over coffee and croissants this morning, EU member states’ ambassadors in Brussels will be briefed on the current state of the Brexit negotiations. Late last night, it seemed the UK and EU were inches away from agreeing the principles of a new deal. French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Angela Merkel, EU Council president Donald Tusk [...]
Jeremy Corbyn is deluded if he thinks Labour is remotely ready for an election October 17, 2019 When Jeremy Corbyn told Labour members last week that “we’re ready and chomping at the bit for an election”, one can only assume that he was using the royal we. With the exception of the leader, it’s hard to find anyone in Labour who believes that the party is anywhere near ready for an election [...]
What does Britain need? More robots October 17, 2019 On Monday, the Queen’s Speech set out the government’s legislative plans, starting with tackling all things Brexit, before laying out a radical programme to shake the country out of its current torpor. Leaving aside whether any of this legislative programme manages to get through parliament, I would argue that one of the most critical issues [...]
DEBATE: Can Neil Woodford’s reputation ever recover? October 17, 2019 Can Neil Woodford’s reputation ever recover? Tom Berry, chair at Chameleon PR, says YES. Reputation in this day and age is a transient thing. The value of Neil Woodford’s brand might be at an all-time low now, but he has 30 years of successful investing behind him – and he has made a lot of [...]
UK companies cut marketing budgets for first time in seven years October 17, 2019 UK companies have cut their marketing budgets for the first time in seven years as ongoing uncertainty has forced bosses to keep a tight control over spending. A net balance of -0.5 per cent of companies reported a reduction in their marketing budgets in the third quarter, according to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s [...]
Relocations rise ahead of Brexit but London will stay ‘dominant’, report finds October 16, 2019 More than 330 financial firms have relocated parts of their business ahead of Britain’s imminent departure from the EU, a new report has found. Hundreds of banks and financial services companies have moved staff or set up new entities in the EU, rising by 23 per cent since a previous report in March. Read more: [...]
City of London Corporation accused of politicising its primary council October 16, 2019 The City of London Corporation has been accused by one of its councillors of going beyond its remit and attacking the government in a “political stunt”. The corporation’s Court of Common Council, its key decision making body, approved a motion last week to give its “full and unequivocal support” to the independence of the UK’s [...]
Barratt Developments reassures investors over Brexit October 16, 2019 Britain’s biggest housebuilder Barratt Developments shrugged off concerns about political and economic uncertainty this morning as it reassured investors it could deal with the potential effects of Brexit. The FTSE 100 developer said it has a strong balance sheet and cash position to provide it with the resilience and flexibility to react to “potential changes [...]
Seven hours left to achieve Brexit ‘clarity’, says Donald Tusk October 16, 2019 A Brexit breakthrough must happen today if there is any hope of it being approved by the 27 EU leaders at tomorrow’s key summit, both sides have agreed. Although successive deadlines – most of which were set by the EU – have fallen by the wayside, a UK government source this morning said it would [...]
Ladbrokes: 2020 general election is now odds-on October 16, 2019 The chances of a general election in 2020 are now higher than one in the rest of this year, according to the latest betting odds from Ladbrokes. As Brexit talks go to the wire, the bookmaker said it was now the favourite that an election would not take place this side of Christmas, with odds [...]