Government sends Fever-Tree mixers and a cricket shirt down under to celebrate post-Brexit trade deal May 31, 2023 The UK’s trade deals with Australia and New Zealand came into force at midnight, with special shipments of British goods such as signed Beano comics among the first to be sent under the new arrangements. The agreements are the first trade deals negotiated post-Brexit to enter into force and come after the UK, Australia and [...]
Net migration figures present collision between facts and feelings for Sunak May 25, 2023 Net migration figures have hit record highs – to the surprise of precisely no one. Expectation management is a vital piece of the political toolkit. That much-touted 1,000-seat loss in the local election results was brought out in advance as an over-the-top figure designed to give the electorate a happy surprise – but, to the [...]
Plans to boost scrutiny of regulators don’t go far enough, experts argue May 24, 2023 New plans to boost oversight of financial regulators have been criticised by experts, as the government responds to concerns that watchdogs face too little scrutiny. Earlier this week, the it was reported that the Treasury is planning to beef up the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner (FRCC) in order to more robustly hold regulators to account. [...]
EU remains firm on post-Brexit clearing plans despite pressure on both sides of the Channel May 24, 2023 The EU is set to reject calls to rethink its approach to the clearing business despite mounting pressure on both sides of the Channel. The EU’s financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness said the plans were vital to the EU’s “financial resilience”. “I want to underline that this matter is actually not so much about Brexit. [...]
City breathes sigh of relief: Draft MoU on post Brexit UK-EU financial services welcomed May 23, 2023 Figures in the City seemed to breathe a sigh of relief following the publication of a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on financial services between the UK and EU last week. Released last Friday, the agreement commits the two to “jointly endeavour to pursue a robust and ambitious bilateral regulatory cooperation in the area of [...]
Sadiq Khan hosts crunch business talks with City figures May 23, 2023 Sadiq Khan has warned London’s businesses are facing “the most difficult period in living memory” as a result of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the inflation crisis. The Mayor of London has called for the government to devolve some immigration powers to City Hall as a means of tackling regional labour shortages sparked by the [...]
UK and EU publish draft MOU to improve post-Brexit financial regulatory cooperation May 19, 2023 The UK and the EU’s top body have published the draft of a memorandum of understand, intended to improve post-Brexit regulatory cooperation on financial services. The draft agreement commits the two to “jointly endeavour to pursue a robust and ambitious bilateral regulatory cooperation in the area of financial services”. The MOU was heralded as a [...]
Sunak insists he will bring down taxes when inflation cools May 18, 2023 Rishi Sunak has insisted he will bring down taxes when inflation cools and claimed the economy is defying expectations. It comes after economists warned one in five people will be paying the higher rate of tax under his policies. The Prime Minister said the nation’s finances are receiving boosts from the departure from the EU, [...]
Sunak at G7: Post Brexit ‘vote of confidence’ as Japan firms to invest £18bn in the UK May 18, 2023 Japanese businesses are committing to invest nearly £18 billion in the UK, Rishi Sunak has announced as he meets the bosses of major firms in Tokyo. The Prime Minister said the pledges are a “massive vote of confidence” in the British economy after he painted an optimistic outlook for the national finances. But Mr Sunak [...]
Jeremy Hunt pressed on Brexit tariffs after Stellantis warns of job cuts and car factory closures May 17, 2023 Jeremy Hunt insisted the government is “very focussed” on ensuring Britain improves its EV car manufacturing capacity, after Vauxhall and Fiat’s parent firm warned of Brexit-linked concerns. The Chancellor’s comments were made in the wake of worrying remarks by automaker Stellantis, saying the future post-Brexit tariffs could threaten sections of its UK business, placing hundreds [...]
