Foundations of the housing white paper are still being laid as Prime Minister Theresa May asks for more meat on the bones January 13, 2017 The long-awaited housing white paper is still weeks from publication as the government looks for ways to beef it up so that it passes muster with the Prime Minister Theresa May. The flagship policy document was originally pencilled in for publication late last year. Several key industry figures had expected the white paper to be published [...]
Ireland targets UK fintech startups mulling Brexit contingency plans January 12, 2017 The Irish government is eyeing up the UK's thriving fintech sector and will make a bid to attract startups to Dublin directly in the wake of the Brexit vote, Morning Wire has learned. The country's junior finance minister Eoghan Murphy will head to the Square Mile along with experts in fintech and payments in the [...]
Theresa May is to deliver a much-anticipated speech on Brexit next week January 12, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May looks set to deliver a landmark speech on Brexit early next week. The speech, which has been anticipated for weeks, is expected to see the Prime Minister add more detail to her plans for quitting the European Union. May will deliver an address on Tuesday. While outlining her vision of a "sharing society" speech [...]
Sadiq Khan wants to draft an industrial strategy for London January 12, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan will today pledge to draft an industrial strategy for the capital for consideration in Westminster. Speaking at the London Government Dinner at The Mansion House tonight, Khan will call on London's political and business leaders to work with him on the plans. The strategy will then be submitted to the Business, [...]
Brexit minister confirms bumpy EU departure will hurt Europe as well as UK January 12, 2017 A junior minister from the Brexit department has today become the latest in a string of voices to say a bad Brexit deal will harm Europe. In a grilling with the House of Lords on transition periods, parliamentary under secretary of state Lord Bridges of Headley said: "We want to have a smooth and orderly exit [...]
Government backs plans for £1.3bn Swansea Bay tidal lagoon January 12, 2017 Plans for a £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay have been backed by a government-funded review. The tidal lagoon has been in the pipeline for the last few years. It is to consist of 90 turbines in a 14 mile breakwater, and over the next 120 years could supply energy for 1.5m homes. It ties [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond praises “success story” Funding Circle as it announces $100m investment January 12, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has praised Funding Circle as a “real success story for British fintech” after the peer-to-peer (P2P) platform announced a new $100m (£82.5m) equity capital. The funding round was led by Accel Partners and included participation from existing investors Baillie Gifford, DST Global, Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Rocket Internet, Sands Capital Ventures, Temasek and Union Square [...]
The easy sell to the EU that preserves the Single Market for the City January 12, 2017 The UK is about to seriously embark on its programme towards Brexit. We have been promised that the government will exercise the country’s right under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in March 2017, which commences a two-year period of withdrawal negotiations. Those two years will be marked by considerable political activity and, though this [...]
So much could go wrong – but America’s President-elect gives free marketeers plenty to cheer January 12, 2017 Within days, Donald J Trump will be the forty-fifth President of the United States, and his economic team will be charged with the task of translating an economic manifesto into actual policy. As a passionate supporter of free trade, I have problems with The Donald’s America First trade policy. But when I look at the [...]
Now the Tories give run around on immigration January 11, 2017 Making a mess of immigration policy isn't an endeavour restricted to the Labour party. As much as we enjoyed their festival of confusion yesterday regarding the free movement of workers, the Tories have now given us a clear reminder that politicians of all stripes are capable of getting tangled up in this sensitive area of policy. [...]