Pro-Brexit Labour MP Kate Hoey to stand down at next election July 8, 2019 Brexit-backing Labour MP Kate Hoey has announced she is standing down at the next election. Hoey has represented the Vauxhall constituency in south London since 1989, and was returned at the last election with a majority of more than 20,000. She is one of the most vocal backers Brexit from the Labour benches, and joined [...]
Skills gap is costing UK business £4.4bn each year July 8, 2019 The UK’s skills shortage is having a significant impact on many employers’ productivity and competitiveness. In fact, the impact on productivity is so severe that the government has put addressing the skills shortage front and centre in its industrial strategy. For most businesses, buying skills in seems the easiest way to tackle shortages, but this [...]
Boris has a plan to turbocharge Britain’s economy July 8, 2019 No one should be in any doubt that this is a serious moment for our nation. The failure to deliver Brexit has led to investment being put on hold and confidence in our political process undermined. That’s why it’s so important to have a Brexit campaigner, committed to leaving on 31 October, as our next [...]
It’s time for aspiration and ability – not birth and background – to dictate progress July 8, 2019 In the UK, our sense of fair play is a source of national pride. We like to think that if you study hard at school and work hard in employment, opportunities are there for the taking. We are, however, increasingly finding evidence to the contrary. Throughout the country, we see those at the top being [...]
London equity capital markets remain resilient despite uncertainties July 8, 2019 London remained a bright spot for equity capital markets as investors shrugged off economic and political uncertainties in the first half of this year. Total funds raised in the UK in the first half of this year reached £19.2bn, up from 22 per cent in the second half of 2018. Read more: Private equity investment [...]
UK must prepare for a ‘low growth economy’ as Brexit uncertainty plagues business investment July 8, 2019 Investment in British business is set to suffer in 2019 as prolonged uncertainty surrounding Brexit tightens its grip on the willingness to commit to major projects, a leading forecaster has said. EY’s Item Club, which uses the Treasury’s model of the UK economy, says that business investment will contract 1.6 per cent – a decline [...]
Firms spend £4.4bn as skills shortage bites July 8, 2019 Most employers in the UK have struggled to find skilled staff in the last year, a new study reveals today. The shortage has forced British firms to spend £4.4bn on temps, higher salaries, recruitment fees and training. Data from the Open University shows that 68 per cent of employers have struggled to find the right [...]
Rat race: City workers scramble as new jobs numbers halve July 8, 2019 City workers had to fight harder for new jobs last quarter as the amount of available opportunities halved. Research shows that the number of available jobs decreased 50 per cent year-on year, and 33 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Meanwhile, jobseekers fell by 22 per cent. It contrasts against the technology sector, which has 60 per cent [...]
Inquiry launched into leaked memos branding Trump administration ‘inept’ July 7, 2019 The government has launched an inquiry into leaked memos that described US President Donald Trump’s administration as “inept” and “uniquely dysfunctional”. In a series of confidential memos written over the last three years, British ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Darroch reportedly criticised Trump and warned of internal rifts in the White House. Read more: Trump [...]
Bears are gathering to welcome bullish Boris July 7, 2019 Did the economy shrink in the second quarter of the year? While it is impossible to be sure, we will get another clue this week when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes its GDP estimate for May – and so far, the signs are not good. Read more: Boris Johnson to crack down on [...]