Government provides £200m for small firms as Brexit threatens EU funding April 17, 2019 The UK government has handed over £200m to help support smaller businesses in the 2019-20 financial year as the future of European Union funding remains uncertain. Read more: No-deal planning programme extended due to later Brexit date The Treasury announced today that it has made the cash available to the British Business Bank, which provides [...]
The Independent Group’s logo for European parliament elections is rejected April 16, 2019 The Independent Group (TIG) is set to compete for seats in the upcoming European elections after being given the green light by the Electoral Commission this afternoon. Read more: Sterling falls as doubts emerge over cross-party Brexit talks However, the breakaway group of former Conservative and Labour MPs has been forced to think up a [...]
Sterling falls as doubts emerge over cross-party Brexit talks April 16, 2019 Sterling fell after reports emerged that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had said talks with the government were stalling, although the party has slapped down the claim. Read more: Tusk says he still dreams of UK U-turn on Brexit A falling pound sent the FTSE 100 to a six-month high, as investors responded to the news [...]
EU ‘dreams’ of UK U-turn on Brexit decision, says Donald Tusk April 16, 2019 European Parliament president Donald Tusk said today that Europe needs dreamers who believe Britain may remain in the European Union nearly three years after it voted to leave. Read more: DEBATE: Is Nigel Farage back as a serious force in politics? “We cannot give into fatalism,” Tusk said in a report to the European Parliament. “During [...]
Tesco and Dunelm defy retail gloom April 16, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Impressive updates from Tesco and Dunelm show opportunities still exist in the embattled retail sector. A big hike in the Tesco (LSE:TSCO) dividend and an “incredible” trading update from Dunelm Group (LSE:DNLM) today combined to remind Brexit-weary investors there is life in the retail sector after all. The near-doubling [...]
Can European banks be saved by mergers and a fresh round of deal making? April 16, 2019 The comparisons with US peers just got a lot harder for European banks after a strong showing from JP Morgan to kick off earnings season. But could there be fresh revenue on the way for European investment banks, even if it is of their own making? There’s a mooted capital raising for Deutsche Bank before [...]
Monetary policy is too crucial to leave in Labour’s meddling hands April 16, 2019 Even by Donald Trump’s standards, it was an extremely Donald Trump thing to do. Last week, the President nominated Herman Cain for a seat on the board of the Federal Reserve, attempting to hand oversight of the world’s largest economy to a maverick gold-standard enthusiast. The nomination appears to be doomed, largely because of the [...]
DEBATE: With the launch of his new Brexit Party, is Nigel Farage back as a serious force in politics? April 16, 2019 With the launch of his new Brexit Party, is Nigel Farage back as a serious force in politics? Lucy Harris, director of Leavers of Britain, says YES. Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party has come out with an upbeat message and a fresh look – and that’s what many Leave voters are desperately searching for in this [...]
Corbyn is as much a threat to the City as a no-deal Brexit April 16, 2019 The Prime Minister is currently on a walking holiday in Wales, while parliament is on Easter recess. This would be a moment for calm, except that Theresa May’s infamous walking holiday in April 2017 ending in her calling an unexpected General Election. Avid Westminster watchers are nervously wondering whether another snap poll is imminent. While [...]
MPs demand action from pensions regulator over ‘staggering’ deficit in rail sector April 15, 2019 The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has been asked to come clean on the extent of the rail sector's pensions deficit after the issue was brought to a head with the government's decision to ban Stagecoach from bidding for three franchises. MPs on the Committee for Work and Pensions wrote to TPR chief executive Charles Counsell last week [...]