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 [...]
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 [...]
Jeremy Corbyn could hit bank profits as hard as a no-deal Brexit, warns Citi April 15, 2019 The election of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister would have as damaging an effect on UK bank profits as a no-deal Brexit, according to a note from investment bank Citi. Read more: Comrade Corbyn’s statist policies would tank the British economy Labour is edging ahead of the Conservatives in the polls, with the popularity [...]
Brexit impasse sends UK business confidence plummeting, new surveys show April 15, 2019 The political crisis surrounding Brexit has sapped confidence from some of the UK's biggest and smallest companies alike, as crunch talks between Labour and the Conservatives reach a “delicate stage” this week. Read more: MPs could be forced to choose a Brexit option if talks with Labour fail More than eight in 10 finance chiefs [...]
MPs urge government to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden April 13, 2019 More than 70 MPs have written to the government asking that Julian Assange be extradited to Sweden should the country request it. Assange was arrested by British authorities on Thursday after leaving the Ecuadorian embassy that he had resided in under diplomatic protection since 2012. Read more: Hammond says parliament likely to vote again on Brexit [...]
Labour’s desire for the Bank of England to control UK house prices is disastrous and illogical April 12, 2019 The Bank of England should be responsible for boosting the UK’s productivity, according to the Labour party, which wants Threadneedle Street to dictate how banks lend money to businesses. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, Labour also wants to keep RBS nationalised in order to direct its lending; turn Post Offices into [...]
Angela Merkel calls for Brexit delay of ‘several months’ April 10, 2019 Angela Merkel has seemingly rejected Theresa May’s call for short delay to Brexit as she talked up an an extension of “several months”. The German chancellor told her country’s lower parliament that she hoped the EU would back a plan that would see the Article 50 process extended beyond 30 June – the date which [...]
Jeremy Corbyn and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez love Modern Monetary Theory, but it is just the magic money tree again April 10, 2019 As the Brexit process unfolds, the possibility of a Corbyn government has become much more tangible. Last month, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, wrote to the Treasury to say that in power he would require them to “widen the range of economic theories and approaches in which its officials and those in the rest of [...]
Poll: Voters would punish Tories for Brexit delay at European parliamentary elections April 10, 2019 The Tories would be hit hard in European parliamentary elections if they are held in the UK as part of another delay to Brexit, according to a poll released today. Read more: British voters want a rule-breaking leader to reform Westminster Voters would punish the Conservatives for failing to pull the UK out of the [...]
Brexit hoped to heal the UK, but instead it leaves wounds that will not easily be closed April 9, 2019 The other day, my three-year-old son gave me a geography lesson. Him: “This is Battersea Park.” Me: “That’s right.” Him: “And Battersea Park is in London?” Me: “Yes, and we’re also in England and in Britain.” At which point he shook his head. “No,” he insisted. “Just London.” Political analysis obviously runs in the family. [...]