Andrew Tyrie asks Mark Carney to clarify Bank of England monetary policy committee conflict of interest rules August 25, 2015 The chairman of an influential parliamentary committee has asked Bank of England governor Mark Carney to reconsider rules surrounding membership of the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC). Andrew Tyrie, who chairs the Treasury Select Committee, wrote to Carney today about the appointment of Gertjan Vlieghe, a senior economist at the hedge fund Brevan Howard, to [...]
Labour leadership race: Acting leader Harriet Harman to meet with candidates amid vote infiltration concerns August 25, 2015 Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has asked to speak to all four leadership candidates amid growing concerns the vote could have been infiltrated by opponents. The private meeting is expected to focus on checking the process to make sure there are no votes made by those who are looking to skew the result. “The meeting [...]
Jeremy Corbyn ‘could sack Bank of England governor Mark Carney’ if he wins labour leadership and makes it to 10 Downing Street August 25, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney could be out of a job if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, one of Corbyn’s closest advisers has claimed. Tax expert Richard Murphy, who advises the Labour leadership hopeful and is widely credited as the mastermind of so-called Corbynomics, said yesterday that the Bank is beholden to parliament. “Bank of England [...]
UK Immigration Bill: Illegal workers face jail as part of crackdown on rogue migrants and employers August 24, 2015 The Government is raising the stakes in its crackdown on illegal working today, introducing new penalties for employers who give jobs to undocumented migrants. Immigration minister James Brokenshire will say: “Illegal workers will face the prospect of a prison term and rogue employers could have their businesses closed, have their licences removed, or face prosecution [...]
Royal Dutch Shell opens talks with Iran by promising $2bn debt repayment August 24, 2015 Royal Dutch Shell has become the first UK company to take a major step towards reviving its trade relationship with Iran. Read more: If a nuclear deal is reached, Iran will be bursting with investment opportunities – here's what to look out for During a visit to the oil-rich country yesterday, the company's head [...]
Russia has banned Wikipedia today in what activists are calling an attack on open internet August 24, 2015 In yet another blow against open internet in Russia, authorities banned Wikipedia today, ostensibly over drug-related content. Officially, this is about a Wikipedia page essentially explaining how to make charas, a kind of cannabis. Kremlin’s surveillance authority Roskomnadzor has been trying to get the page removed, threatening to ban the whole website unless it complied. [...]
Think tank: Sub-par schools need to foot the bill for failing students August 24, 2015 A leading Westminster think tank wants failing schools to pay up – by making them cover the costs of students who don’t make the grade in GCSE English or maths. The centre-right Policy Exchange, which is closely aligned with the Conservative party, argued in a new paper out today that the government should impose fines [...]
Foreign secretary Philip Hammond says first sanctions against Iran could be lifted early next year August 24, 2015 Foreign secretary Philip Hammond has announced that the first sanctions against Iran could be lifted as soon as early next year. Read more: British embassy paves the way for new business opportunities in Iran The comments came as Hammond visited Iran to reopen the British embassy in Tehran. The Iranian embassy in London has also been [...]
Iran is open for business: Bankers, bosses and business groups join the foreign secretary as battered British embassy reopens in Tehran August 24, 2015 Bosses from Britain’s largest business groups and energy companies broke new ground over the weekend by embarking on an overseas trade mission to Iran, optimistic that thawed diplomatic relations could pave the way for future trade deals. British Bankers’ Association chief executive Anthony Browne, Institute of Directors (IoD) director general Simon Walker, and Confederation of [...]
Chancellor George Osborne kicks off his own European tour to try and win the EU over on Cameron’s reforms August 24, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is embarking on a whistle-stop tour of three European capitals today, in an effort to secure support for Prime Minister David Cameron’s EU reform agenda. Osborne is set to visit Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to hold meetings with key members of the Finnish, Swedish and Danish governments, including Finnish finance minister Alexander [...]