Labour donor John Mills has warned the party is lacking a “credible” economic policy September 27, 2016 Labour donor John Mills has warned Jeremy Corbyn’s party faces dramatic electoral losses without a more fleshed out economic policy to lure support. Speaking at the Labour party conference in Liverpool today, Mills said the party is failing to develop policies to tackle low wage growth following a leadership contest focused on “battles largely irrelevant to [...]
Clinton and Trump’s dismal debate performances laid bare America’s perilous divisions September 27, 2016 “I have a son who’s 10, he’s so good with computers.” – Donald Trump, when asked about US cybersecurity weaknesses (The American Republic is) “under siege by a moron.” – Bruce Springsteen, when asked about Donald Trump Well, it was just as weird as had been anticipated. The estimated 100m Americans who tuned into the [...]
Business and politics must think longer term to secure the UK’s future, says minister September 27, 2016 Both businesses and politicians need to be thinking longer term to safeguard the future of the UK, the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy has said today. Speaking at the Institute of Directors Annual Convention, Greg Clark hit back at those who focused too much on the short term, remarking "planning for the long-term is [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: How did financial markets react to the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? September 27, 2016 Financial markets have decided Democrat Hillary Clinton came out on top in the first US presidential debate last night, as stock markets rallied and key currencies soared. In a pattern which should sound familiar to UK market-watchers over the last few months, markets have started to move back-and-forth in response to developments on the campaign trail. [...]
The great fall of China: If the Chinese economy sinks, it’ll take Britain down with it September 27, 2016 Forget the chatter around the economic risk posed by Brexit, for a more dangerous spectre looms: China’s massive debt pile and the potential for a painful slowdown in the Asian powerhouse. Former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, Ken Rogoff, said yesterday that a slowdown in China is the greatest threat to the global [...]
Britain’s socialists aren’t quite as “progressive” as they think they are September 26, 2016 It’s as predictable as the so-called “rabbit out of the hat”. Twice each year (three times when George Osborne felt an “emergency” coming on), the days after a Budget or Autumn Statement are littered with left-wing MPs, armed with their Institute for Fiscal Studies bar chart, denouncing the package of policies as “regressive”. “The tax and [...]
Jeremy Corbyn has named a new shadow City minister, recruiting an MP who previously resigned in protest over his leadershp September 26, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is set to rebuild his front bench with the appointment of a new shadow City minister. Morning Wire understands that business, innovation and skills (BIS) committee member Jonathan Reynolds will be handed the role, replacing Richard Burgon, who was promoted to shadow justice minister during the summer. The appointment is the first [...]
What is the worst policy to come out of the Labour party conference so far? September 26, 2016 Dan Lewis, senior infrastructure policy adviser to the Institute of Directors, says the ban on fracking. Fracking has been transformative for the United States, leading to reshoring of manufacturing, bringing down energy prices, reducing emissions, creating jobs and raising taxes. No serious US politician seeking power wants to reverse that. And in this country, it will [...]
Leave the EU’s Customs Union for a serious trade and aid policy September 26, 2016 It will not be enough to leave the EU’s Single Market. We need to leave its highly corrosive Customs Union too. Indeed, as a new report from Global Britain into the links between international trade and development aid shows, leaving the Customs Union is a prerequisite for making globalisation of benefit to the whole world – [...]
Theresa May is more interested in migration targets than a Brexit deal says senior Labour MP September 26, 2016 The chair of Labour’s Progress, a centre-left campaign group, has launched a stinging attack on Theresa May, arguing her focus on a “sustainable” net migration target is limiting the ability to secure the best possible Brexit deal. Since coming to power, May has retained a target of reducing net migration to below 100,000, first launched [...]