Michel Barnier: Brexit deal ‘still possible this week’ despite difficult talks October 15, 2019 The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said today that reaching a fresh Brexit deal “will be difficult” but that it “is still possible this week”. Barnier told EU ministers in Luxembourg that Brexit negotiations with the UK are “intense” and that “our team are working hard”. Read more: Sterling creeps back up as hopes [...]
Sterling creeps back up as Brexit deal hopes return October 15, 2019 Sterling has risen against the dollar and euro this morning as investors regain some optimism over a possible Brexit deal. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was boosted yesterday when hardline Tory rebels signalled that they would be willing to vote for a Brexit agreement if it were brought before the Commons. This morning, the European Union [...]
No-deal Brexit: The potential winners and losers October 15, 2019 As you read this, Brexit negotiators are working around the clock to come to an agreement that will enable the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way by the Halloween deadline. Both sides have said they are committed to working out a deal, but with time so short, nothing is certain. If they [...]
The Queen has set out a new legislative agenda for a government that can’t govern October 15, 2019 Yesterday’s grand state occasion had all the hallmarks of a normal Queen’s Speech, including the fabulous pomp, the Monarch’s gracious address and the reciprocal speeches in the Commons, but it was not a normal Queen’s Speech. The chances of this government successfully passing any of the bills it outlined yesterday are slim, at best. It has no [...]
Warning: The conveyor belt of global growth is grinding ever more slowly October 15, 2019 Where has all the growth gone? It’s the biggest economic question that we face – not just in Britain, but throughout the world. Ignore the stresses and uncertainties caused by Brexit, or Donald Trump’s trade war, or whatever the latest problem of the day is. The bigger picture is that the world just isn’t growing [...]
This bland and disappointing Queen’s Speech is no remedy for our broken politics October 15, 2019 “Civilisation is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces.” So wrote Jean-Jacques Rousseau, maybe somewhat cynically. Yet, listening to yesterday’s Queen’s Speech it is hard not to glimpse a thread of truth in Rousseau’s words. Longer sentences to make up for increased crime exacerbated by past cuts and the progressive breakdown [...]
DEBATE: Is Nicola Sturgeon overplaying her hand by demanding a Scottish independence referendum next year? October 15, 2019 Is Nicola Sturgeon overplaying her hand by demanding a Scottish independence referendum next year? Iain Anderson, executive chairman at Cicero Group, says YES. Sick and tired of being sick and tired of endless elections and referendums? I think most of us are. So when I heard Scotland’s first minister say this weekend that the SNP [...]
Want to ensure Britain’s future prosperity? Stop taking wealth creators for granted October 15, 2019 Last month, the UK reported record numbers of people in employment. With all the Brexit noise, it was easy to miss this incredible news. But a healthy jobs market is of critical importance to society. As a barometer of success, employment is for some (including me) more important than any other figure, including GDP. And [...]
Global markets underwhelmed by US-China trade truce October 14, 2019 Global markets remained flat today as initial optimism about a US-China trade deal faded amid concerns about how quickly an agreement could be sealed. Read more: European stock markets fall on China data and Brexit US President Donald Trump last week said he had secured a limited trade deal with China, which will see the [...]
Takeover titan and Blackstone boss Steve Schwarzman talks charity, business and life advice October 14, 2019 Private equity does not have a reputation for giving away money: on the contrary, it is an industry known for its hard-headed obsession with turning a profit though buying companies and selling them on. So it comes as something of a surprise to find that the boss of the world’s biggest private equity company, Steve [...]