Brexit latest: Juncker refuses to reopen Brexit negotiations in ‘robust’ talks with May February 7, 2019 Brexit cannot be renegotiated, insisted European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker today at a meeting with the Prime Minister described as “robust but constructive”. However, UK and EU negotiators will continue to search for a path through parliament for Theresa May’s Brexit deal as they seek to save the agreement, the leaders said today. Read more: [...]
Bank of England slashes UK growth forecasts amid Brexit uncertainties and global slowdown February 7, 2019 The Bank of England today decided to leave interest rates unchanged as expected, but slashed UK growth forecasts as Brexit uncertainties mount. The bank's monetary policy committee (MPC), which last raised rates to 0.75 per cent in August last year, unanimously voted to hold interest rates for a fourth consecutive meeting. Read more: How will the [...]
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis blasts Donald Tusk over Eurozone crisis in response to ‘hell’ tweet February 7, 2019 Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis blasted European Council president Donald Tusk today for the EU’s role in the Eurozone crisis. Varoufakis was responding on Twitter to Tusk’s tweet yesterday that said: “I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted #Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan [...]
UK house prices fall at the start of 2019 as Brexit uncertainty weighs on market, says Halifax February 7, 2019 UK house prices experienced their steepest drop for nine months in January as eyes turn towards the possible impact of Brexit on the housing market, figures released today showed. House prices dropped 2.9 per cent in January compared to December’s 2.5 per cent rise, Halifax house price index data revealed. That is just short of April's [...]
Professional headshots can be a minefield – especially if you take them too seriously February 7, 2019 TAKE a look at that picture of me. No tie or jacket. Not even a shirt for that matter. Hair a little on the louche side. Facing the camera squarely. Chin jutting out a bit, if we’re honest. And pixels. Lots of pixels. It’s not a professional photo, either in standard or purpose. But it’s [...]
Bellway set for revenue bump despite Brexit jitters February 7, 2019 Bellway said this morning that it was expecting a rise is sales over the year ahead, despite echoing the cautious sentiment over Brexit from many of its peers within the property industry. Buoyed by demand for affordable homes and government schemes such as Help-to-Buy, Bellway said in a trading update this morning that it expected total [...]
Millennium Bug lessons: Stop Brexit stockpiling February 7, 2019 UK manufacturers are stockpiling raw materials at the highest rate since figures were first collected 27 years ago. While it might look like a sensible response to uncertainty, this kind of Brexit anxiety will have long-term implications for supply chains and for the UK economy as a whole, regardless of what happens in the negotiations. “Demand [...]
No, Nissan’s move is not proof that Brexit will be a disaster February 7, 2019 I should have known better. In my last column, I tempted fate and wrote about the good economic news which the UK continued to experience, wondering out loud if Brexit could bring any bad news. Then it happened with one word: “Nissan”. No sooner had it been announced that production of the Nissan X-Trail would not, [...]
Speed up full-fibre rollout or risk being left behind, CBI warns government February 7, 2019 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) today called on the government to fast-track the rollout of full-fibre broadband as it warned the UK is at risk of lagging behind. The trade body has urged the government to take action this year to avoid a “digital divide” that would see businesses and people left behind as [...]
Sadiq Khan ‘falling short’ on housing after new home registrations fall by 10 per cent February 7, 2019 London mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of "falling short" on housing targets after it emerged that new home registrations in London dropped 10 per cent last year to just over 16,000. There were 16,069 new home registrations in 2018, down from 17,932 the year before, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC), a [...]