Cold weather dampens May retail sales June 20, 2019 Retail sales suffered a setback last month as volumes dropped 0.5 per cent month-on-month driven by unseasonably cold weather. Sales were up 2.3 per cent compared to May last year, representing the smallest annual rise since October 2018. Read more: Mullberry swings to a loss on tough UK retail market In April the year-on-year increase [...]
The breakup of the UK is not an acceptable price for Brexit June 20, 2019 Whoever wins the keys to Number 10 this summer will walk in on their first day to the inbox from hell. There’s the social care crisis that various governments have been kicking down the road for a decade. There’s the massive housing shortage that has led to vast swathes of the population abandoning their dreams [...]
It’s high time Britain’s fledgling cannabis industry got serious about protecting its IP June 20, 2019 Already a $10bn-plus industry, the legal cannabis business is rapidly going mainstream – and not just in Canada and the US. You might not know it, but the UK has been steadily growing its own cannabis infrastructure for some years, with London increasingly becoming a hub for advisers and entrepreneurs looking to get on board [...]
Dunelm raises profit forecast after weather helps boost sales June 20, 2019 Furniture firm Dunelm has raised expectations for the year after strong sales growth in recent months driven by poor weather. The company said unseasonably favourable weather had boosted like-for-like growth in May and June as it continued to defy the UK’s gloomy retail sector. Shares in Dunelm climbed more than five per cent as the [...]
Rory Stewart dumped out of Tory leadership race June 20, 2019 Conservative leadership outsider Rory Stewart was booted out of the race to become the next Prime Minister last night as his support crumbled in the latest round of voting. The international development secretary became a surprise contender in the battle to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader, after vowing to continue with the Brexit deal already [...]
UK top 50 law firms vulnerable to no-deal Brexit, say accountants June 19, 2019 The UK’s top 50 law firms hold on average cash for just three week’s wages, leaving them vulnerable in the case of economic shocks. Analysis of the accounts of the top 50 law firms by accountancy firm Smith & Williamson and website Legal Week found the monthly payroll was on average £610m, but firms had [...]
Three reasons why the Bank of England won’t raise interest rates June 19, 2019 The Bank of England should keep interest rates on hold tomorrow due to uncertainty over Brexit, global trade tensions, and recent weak UK data, City A.M.’s shadow monetary policy (MPC) has argued. Read more: UK inflation falls to Bank of England target Ongoing uncertainty over how Brexit will turn out, and the increasing chances of [...]
Labour refuses to back holding a second Brexit referendum if they are in power June 19, 2019 Labour would push for second Brexit referendum on “any deal” agreed with the EU, Jeremy Corbyn has announced – but it is not clear if that only applies to an agreement negotiated by the Conservatives. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Labour leader called for a public vote – saying the ballot paper should [...]
CBI: UK manufacturing growth nears three-year low June 19, 2019 A steep fall in car production saw UK manufacturing growth fall to its weakest level in nearly three years in the three months to June, new data has revealed. Car manufacturers’ 83 per cent plunge was its worst quarterly drop since the height of the financial crisis over the quarter, the Confederation of British Industry [...]
The next Tory PM must give a boost to low income families June 19, 2019 You may have notice some headlines today about a drop in incomes for the UK’s poorest households. New research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation analyses incomes, poverty and inequality over recent years. Read more: Tory leadership hopefuls face new vote after TV clash Between two of the most [...]