There’s something important that Corbyn still needs to learn from Tony Blair September 24, 2019 To say that the Labour party conference hasn’t been going quite as the leadership might have intended would be something of an understatement. There have been the usual volcanic rows about Brexit, an abortive coup against deputy leader Tom Watson, the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn’s policy chief with a statement machine-gunning the leader’s most senior [...]
Small but mighty: SME export champions deserve to be heard September 24, 2019 Anyone watching the news earlier this month may have spotted figures showing the UK trade deficit narrowing by £14.9bn to £2.9bn in the three months to July. This is of course a promising sign of the UK’s future trading position. Yet these figures miss a big part of the story: the role of the UK’s [...]
DEBATE: Was the collapse of Thomas Cook inevitable? September 24, 2019 Was the collapse of Thomas Cook inevitable? Julian Jessop, economics fellow at the Institute for Economic Affairs, says YES. It is sad to see the collapse of the world’s oldest travel firm, but badly run companies must be allowed to fail. There was some bad luck here, including unrest in Turkey, European heat waves, and [...]
In a world of data and digitisation, the City continues to hold the winning cards September 24, 2019 At a time when the spotlight is on London’s future as a global hub for finance, new data showing that the capital has extended its lead in global FX and interest rate derivatives trading since 2016 was a clear vote of confidence in the City. This was backed up by the latest Global Financial Centres [...]
Wealthy families flock to safe assets as recession fears mount September 24, 2019 The world’s wealthiest families are increasingly flocking to safe assets amid fears of a market downturn next year. Executives at family offices are advising their rich clients to take cautious measures to safeguard against turbulence throughout the global economy in 2020. Read more: The UK leads the forex market Almost half of all family offices [...]
CBI survey: London remains attractive for business leaders but fears over future linger September 24, 2019 Over four in five firms see London as an attractive place for business leaders, according to new findings released today by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). But the CBI has also found that close to a third of the survey’s respondents feel there is potential for London’s position to weaken overall and in specific [...]
Could this pro-Brexit economist be what Threadneedle Street needs? September 24, 2019 Gerard Lyons’ candidacy for governor of the Bank of England may look like a pro-Brexit ploy, a way to sneak Boris Johnson’s optimism into a pessimistic institution. But Lyons – who has never worked in a central bank, served as Johnson’s chief economic adviser when the now-Prime Minister was mayor of London, and was previously [...]
Greater London Authority writes to PM to demand answers over Arcuri relationship September 24, 2019 The Greater London Authority (GLA) has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to demand an explanation for the decision to award public funds to a friend while he was mayor of London. The Sunday Times said US tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri – a friend of Johnson – had received thousands of pounds in sponsorship grants [...]
Boris Johnson denies impropriety in relationship with Jennifer Arcuri September 23, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson today denied any impropriety in his dealings with a friend who received thousands of pounds in grants when he was mayor of London. The Sunday Times said US tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri – a friend of Johnson – had received thousands of pounds in sponsorship grants and had received preferential treatment [...]
Siemens UK chief executive Juergen Maier announces early retirement September 23, 2019 The UK chief executive of engineering firm Siemens, Juergen Maier, said today he is stepping down from his role early. Maier, who has been with the company for 33 years, said today he was retiring to improve his work-life balance. In a blog post Maier said: “Decisions to leave great companies and teams of people [...]