MPs warn EU referendum could be unfair if ministers do not respect purdah rules July 22, 2015 MPs have warned the government that fairness in the European Union referendum could be in jeopardy because of attempts to relax rules designed to maintain official impartiality before the vote. David Cameron is hoping to renegotiate Britain’s membership with the EU before holding a referendum before the end of 2017, having said previously he'd rather [...]
The voters aren’t stupid: David Cameron must hold his In/Out EU referendum now July 15, 2015 Between David Cameron’s election victory and his address at the recent summit in Brussels, the debate in Britain over its place in Europe has sparked into life. Polls suggest more than half the electorate support remaining in the EU. Business leaders’ views are varied, but one thing they all agree on is that prolonged uncertainty [...]
MPs on entrepreneurship: Do they even know what they’re talking about? July 15, 2015 Politicians rarely miss an opportunity to praise those business owners brave enough to strike out on their own. With 581,000 new firms registered last year, there is little doubt that Britain is in the throes of an exciting entrepreneurial purple patch. But how much credit can government take for the surge in new companies? Business [...]
Britain will not foot the bill for Greek loan, says George Osborne: We’re “not in the euro” July 14, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne laid down the gauntlet to his Eurozone peers yesterday and said that the UK would refuse to put £1bn towards a short-term loan to Greece. If Brussels insists the UK foots part of the bill, it would threaten relations between British and EU leaders as Osborne gears up to renegotiate the country’s [...]
Businesses are scared to speak out against Brexit July 13, 2015 Even though two thirds of UK companies believe a so-called Brexit would be damaging for them, only seven per cent would speak out in favour of staying in the EU, new research has found. Read more: Sajid Javid questions CBI stance on European Union membership Close to two thirds of the FTSE 350 company secretaries surveyed [...]
#ThisIsACoup: Markets may be happy about the new Greek deal, but Twitter really isn’t July 13, 2015 The markets may be happy that at long last a deal has been agreed between Greece and its creditors, but on social media the environment is rather more frosty. As the details of the three-year bailout emerge – a deal that European Council president Donald Tusk said had "strict conditions" – the FTSE, Cac [...]
Brexit: German businesses based in the UK don’t want Britain to go July 9, 2015 German businesses based in the UK have called on David Cameron to avoid a British exit from the European Union (EU). In a letter to the Prime Minister, chancellor and business secretary, Bernd Atensttaedt, chairman of German Industry UK, which represents 100 chief executives of industrial companies in the UK with a German majority shareholding [...]
Ukip leader Nigel Farage gets tough on Brexit: “David Cameron’s attempts at renegotiation are embarrassing” July 3, 2015 “By all accounts, Cameron got to say something at the renegotiation summit when the coffee was served. And as soon as he started to speak, Hollande went out for a pee, which shows you how seriously it was taken,” scoffs Ukip leader Nigel Farage. The renegotiation summit to which Farage refers took place last week [...]
Richard Branson: UK would be better off in Eurozone June 28, 2015 Britain would be better off in the Eurozone, billionaire investor Sir Richard Branson has said. “I think that if we were part of the euro right now, our currency would be a lot cheaper,” the Virgin founder said in an interview with the BBC yesterday, adding: “Great Britain would be doing that much better in [...]
EU referendum: London Mayor Boris Johnson wants public to vote for an exit June 28, 2015 London Mayor Boris Johnson has hinted he is in favour of voting “no” in the EU membership referendum. Read more: London mayor Boris Johnson calls on Cameron to drive through EU reform Ultimately, he says he wants the UK to remain in the bloc, but hopes voting to leave will shock EU leaders into [...]