DEBATE: After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? December 14, 2018 After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? Mo Lovatt, lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries and co-chair of The Great Debate, says YES. The Prime Minister has survived a leadership challenge and some argue that nothing has changed. In Brexit terms, this is true: she remains stubbornly positioned between a [...]
Hard Brexit will be a disaster for British businesses, says Sir Richard Branson December 14, 2018 Sir Richard Branson has claimed that a hard Brexit would be a disaster for the UK and called on Prime Minister Theresa May to be honest about the consequences it could have. The Virgin Group founder has warned that leaving the EU without a deal would result in the closure of British businesses and that the [...]
Judge Theresa May on her policies, not on her gender December 14, 2018 “Having failed at an impossible task no one else wanted, the men in grey suits are lining up to push… their female leader off the glass cliff.” So tweeted the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) on Wednesday afternoon, before the confidence vote in Theresa May’s leadership took place. It’s not exactly a kind write-up for the [...]
As the warning signals flash red, now is the time to back business December 14, 2018 When thinking of the great moments of British enterprise, you would be forgiven for being consumed by nostalgia. The golden age of manufacturing, Victorian industrialists, Alan Turing, the internet, Concorde, the discovery of DNA – what then of today, the Brexit Blues? Think again. This is the age of the entrepreneur – 99 per cent [...]
Blair says UK must prepare for a second Brexit referendum December 14, 2018 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is to say that the UK and EU should prepare for a second referendum because parliament is unlikely to be able to agree on a Brexit deal. Blair will say it is perverse that the UK and the EU are preparing for a potentially economically damaging Brexit without any deal, [...]
Editor’s Notes: Wherever Brexit takes us, let’s hope it’s not Norway December 14, 2018 Theresa May remains in office, and all her difficulties remain with her. By surviving Wednesday night’s vote, she has secured a grace period of 12 months during which time she cannot be challenged again. However, Labour MPs are determined to call a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, which could destroy the Tory-DUP [...]
Theresa May delays crunch Brexit vote until January December 13, 2018 MPs won’t get a vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal until January, Downing Street have confirmed. The withdrawal agreement was set to be put before Parliament on Tuesday, but was pulled the day before as May faced a growing rebellion within her own party. The Prime Minister has been in conversations with EU leaders since [...]
Theresa May warns not to expect a quick Brexit breakthrough as she arrives in Brussels December 13, 2018 Theresa May played down the chances of a Brexit breakthrough as she arrived in Brussels for the latest EU summit. Speaking the day after surviving a vote of no confidence from disgruntled Tory MPs, the Prime Minister said she heard “loud and clear” why the 117 who voted against her are unhappy with her leadership. [...]
‘Non-sexy’ is the new cool: UK fintech predictions for 2019 December 13, 2018 Despite the continued uncertainties of Brexit, 2018 was another year for the UK’s fintech sector. Record levels of investment poured into the community, with $16bn secured in the first six months of 2018, exceeding the value of investment in US fintech by almost $2bn. In addition, progressive regulation and a thriving financial services sector attracted [...]
DEBATE: Should the government’s Making Tax Digital initiative be delayed? December 13, 2018 Should the government’s Making Tax Digital initiative be delayed? Suren Thiru, head of economics and business finance at the British Chambers of Commerce, says YES. The Making Tax Digital initiative represents a significant overhaul to the UK’s tax system, which could not be happening at a worse time for both business and government. HMRC already [...]