EU referendum: OECD Brexit warning in numbers, quotes, and charts April 27, 2016 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a stark picture of what a British exit from the European Union would mean for the UK economy this morning. That UK would be worse off “for generations to come” according to the OECD was just one of a number of comments and charts published today that will be [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton take step closer to White House April 27, 2016 The frontrunners in the campaigns to secure the Republican and Democratic nominations for the 2016 US Presidential race have traded blows as they edged closer to the finish line last night with primary wins in several north east states. Donald Trump secured victory in all five states that held contests yesterday – Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Clinton vs Trump – whose economic policy is better for markets? April 27, 2016 It is a momentous time in terms of geopolitics. A plethora of major events with potentially significant investment consequences will take place this year. They range from the Brexit hurricane in the UK, to tectonic shifts in the oil economy abroad. Even ostensibly local conflagrations, such as political deadlock in Brazil, may impact wider markets. But [...]
EU referendum: Businesses defend free movement and issue warning on Brexit April 27, 2016 Restrictions on EU migrants would cause long-term damage to a number of UK businesses, a new report has said, as employers claimed Brexit could stifle their ability to grow. Firms in the construction, hospitality, and food and drink sectors told the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) that they struggled to hire British workers [...]
MPs urge government to do more to cut taxpayer costs for EU penalties April 27, 2016 A group of MPs has today criticised the government for not doing enough to shield taxpayers from fines paid to the European Commission. The report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that government had been hit with at least £650m in penalties over the last decade for spending EU funds improperly. "Government inaction on [...]
EU referendum: Usdaw union backs Remain ahead of vote in June April 26, 2016 A second trade union in a week has come out in support of remaining in the EU, in a blow to Leave campaigners. Usdaw, one of the UK's largest trade unions, today announced it would be backing British membership of the EU at its conference, a day after the CWU union committed its support for the same [...]
It’s looking more like health secretary Jeremy Hunt will have to leave his job, according to bookies April 26, 2016 Today is the first all-out doctors' strike in the NHS's history, and while health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called it a "bleak day" for the NHS, it may turn out to be bleaker still for him. Bookies now reckon that he's most likely to be the next cabinet minister to resign or lose his job. [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron makes first visit to Port Talbot after sale announcement in March April 26, 2016 David Cameron met with Tata Steel management and unions at the Port Talbot steelworks today during his first visit since the sale plans were announced in March. Tata Steel's sale of its loss-making UK businesses has put tens of thousands of jobs in steel manufacturing and the wider supply chain at risk. Read more: UK steel is globally [...]
EU referendum: Vote Leave are not doing themselves any favours as Tyrie calls non-appearance in front of MPs “unacceptable” April 26, 2016 Vote Leave is not doing itself any favours. The official group campaigning to leave the EU has incurred the ire of the Treasury Select Committee's chairman after cancelling a scheduled appearance in front of MPs. Matthew Elliott, the chief executive of Vote Leave has declined to give evidence in front of the committee tomorrow because of [...]
There’s still more to come from UK banks’ connections to the Panama Papers, says the financial watchdog April 26, 2016 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is still looking into the link between UK banks and the so-called Panama Papers tax avoidance leaks. The financial watchdog has written to around 20 banks and other financial institutions asking about their connection to Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. The FCA gave firms a deadline of 15 April to undertake an initial review but there's still a [...]
