Sterling’s post-Brexit vote collapse failed to provoke a foreign takeover rush January 9, 2017 The dramatic reductions in the value of the pound since last summer's Brexit vote has failed to attract overseas bidders to UK businesses, according to new figures. The number of British firms acquired by foreign businesses actually dropped in the second half of 2016, research from accountancy Moore Stephens shows. There was a 30 per [...]
Half of London businesses say cutting migration would hit the capital’s economic growth January 9, 2017 Cutting immigration into the UK would have a negative impact on London's economic growth, according to just over half of the capital's businesses. A survey of just over 500 firms by the London Chamber of Commerce and Innovation in November found 52 per cent warning against barriers for new migrants coming into the city. And [...]
Boris Johnson heads to New York for talks with the Trump team January 8, 2017 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has jetted to the US to meet senior members Donald Trump's incoming administration, but he won't get to meet the president-elect himself. Johnson arrived in the US earlier today, and will meet with two of Trump's advisers in the president-elect's head of strategy Steve Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is a [...]
Tory MP demands a probe of the Treasury’s Brexit sums January 8, 2017 A member of parliament’s public spending watchdog is demanding the National Audit Office question doom-laden Brexit predictions. The Treasury issued a series of warnings ahead of the referendum, and now Tory Brexiteer Charlie Elphicke is calling for a probe. Elphicke, who sits on the Public Accounts Committee, said the bleak scenarios had not come to pass, [...]
Tony Gallagher is reportedly mulling the £500m sale of a chunk of his property empire January 8, 2017 A major Tory donor is reportedly mulling the £500m sale of a chunk of his property empire. According to the Sunday Times, Oxfordshire-based Tony Gallagher is in advanced talks to sell Gallagher Estates to one of the UK’s largest housing associations. Gallagher Estates buys residential sites, preparing them for development by securing planning permission before they [...]
Theresa May is hinting at the end of the UK’s Single Market membership January 8, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has suggested the UK will give up its Single Market membership in Brexit negotiations, with the European customs union participation also expendable. May appeared to take a swipe at Remain campaigners who want the UK to keep hold of "bits" of EU membership. "We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not [...]
Theresa May on the NHS, Sir Ivan Rogers and Brexit negotiations January 8, 2017 Theresa May has insisted the government is not "muddled" over Brexit and will unveil her plans in the coming weeks. In a wide-ranging interview, her first of 2017, on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday show she also hit back at claims the NHS is suffering a humanitarian crisis. She said she believes she can still get [...]
This trade expert has warned of a “catastrophic” Brexit January 8, 2017 In the week that one of the UK's most "seasoned and tough" negotiators spectacularly resigned with a dig at the government's "muddled thinking", another negotiation expert has warned of the potentially "catastrophic" decision to leave the EU. Jason Langrish, a Canadian trade expert who worked on the country's deal with the EU, has said a deal between [...]
Theresa May’s ditching Cameron’s “big society” for the “shared society” January 8, 2017 Forget "big society", now it's all about the "shared society". Theresa May is ditching the "big society" agenda of her predecessor David Cameron, instead vowing to tackle "everyday injustices" and "build a shared society for everyone". The Prime Minister will lay out plans for social reform in a speech on Monday, to "build a country [...]
One of the Tory’s leading donors said he’ll cut his funds if we lose access to the European single market January 7, 2017 A leading donor to the Conservative Party said he'll cut his funding if the government takes Britain out of the European single market. Andrew Cook, chairman of engineering firm William Cook (and staunch Remainer), has said he couldn't support the party if it risked losing jobs in the UK by leaving the single market, Reuters reported. He has donated more than [...]