The Electoral Commission has opened an investigation into donations received by Ukip November 22, 2016 It's only Tuesday, but this week has already been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Ukip. After one former leader resigned and another was the subject of a bizarre diplomatic (or "twiplomatic") intervention by Donald Trump, now the Electoral Commission has formally opened an investigation into allegations it misspent EU money. In a statement today [...]
The government has sold off more Lloyds shares November 22, 2016 The government has sold off more of its shares in Lloyds Bank bringing taxpayers' holding in the company below eight per cent. A further plan to sell shares to institutional investors was announced by the chancellor Phillip Hammond in October, ditching plans to offload them to retail investors. "Selling our shares in Lloyds Banking Group and [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond is to announce a £1bn splurge on the UK’s broadband technology November 22, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond will announce more than £1bn of investment for the UK's broadband infrastructure tomorrow. Hammond will make the announcement as part of Wednesday's Autumn Statement, pledging cash towards upgrading existing services and trials of new technology. £400m of the funding will go towards existing fibre broadband providers looking to improve the quality of [...]
Did Theresa May’s “pro business” CBI speech do enough to reassure British companies? November 21, 2016 Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors, says Yes. Businesses were feeling a bit unsure of how the Prime Minister viewed them after her speech to Conservative Party Conference last month, but she struck exactly the right tone yesterday, emphasising her support for entrepreneurs, innovators and free markets. Mrs May has been keen [...]
Autumn Statement 2016: Looming dangers demand an urgent rethink of monetary policy in Britain November 21, 2016 A widely-held, but erroneous, view is that low interest rates act invariably as a welcome, unambiguous boost to business, consumers and the economy. Nonetheless, it seems almost incredible that the Bank of England has maintained an emergency rate since March 2009. The granting of (notional) independence over monetary policy to this institution has allowed politicians [...]
His presidency could make or break the US: Would you serve under Donald Trump? November 21, 2016 After 10 days in the United States, and 216 hours or 12,960 minutes talking about the President-elect, how he won, his fiscal stimulus plans, his fraught relationship with the press, his tweets, his controversial comments about women, Mexicans and Muslims, the conflicts of interests, his children, who gets security clearance, his apologies, his friendliness towards [...]
Jeremy Corbyn slams government for not yet sorting out Brexit for businesses November 21, 2016 Government is harming businesses with its "shambolic handling" of Brexit, Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has said today. Noting he was surprised to find himself speaking at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference, Corbyn supported the calls for a Brexit which provided a smooth transition for businesses. "We now all face some of the biggest changes [...]
Ending discrimination against families in the tax and benefits system would mark chancellor Philip Hammond as a true radical November 21, 2016 Every now and again we have a radical government that changes the way things are done. Lots of governments try to give the impression of being radical by implementing swathes of new legislation. But really radical governments that change the course of history are rare. In the post-war period, we have only had the 1945 [...]
Liam Fox is hiring almost 100 civil servants for his trade department November 21, 2016 Liam Fox is hunting for almost 100 new civil servants in a bid to secure the future of the UK outside of the European Union. Fox's Department for International Trade was created to boost ties between the UK and the rest of the world after Brexit, and has posted dozens of jobs within the [...]
Chris Grayling says the world of aviation will be prioritised in Brexit negotiations November 21, 2016 Airlines were among the first to battle Brexit turbulence and transport secretary Chris Grayling has now pledged the aviation industry will be prioritised in Brexit negotiations. Speaking at the Airport Operators Association’s annual conference, Grayling said: "I can give that assurance." The industry remains uncertain over its standing in Europe and elsewhere in the world going forward, while [...]