The Spring Budget The chancellor (Hunt) last Wednesday, 15th March, delivered his Spring Budget with major policy announcements featuring the introduction of free childcare for youngsters (under the age of three) as one of the key commitments targeted at bringing back people to work. Additionally, Hunt increased the annual tax-free pension allowance (from £40,000 to £60,000) and removed the Lifetime Allowance on pensions (which was at £1m). These new strategies, aimed ...
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UK Economy Rebounds The UK economy beat forecasts for GDP growth in January with a 0.3% expansion (ahead of 0.1% forecast) as a result of the service sector rising 0.5% due to strong performances from the education, transport and health activities sectors. PM Sunak, from Paris, described the result as “showing encouraging signs that things are better than people feared, that sentiment is improving, confidence is returning and that is partly ...
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The British Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Edrington welcomed members of the Chamber to experience ‘the liquid gold from Scotland’, better known as Single Malt Scotch Whisky, during the annual BSCC whisky tasting on 9 March. Edrington highlighted the classic whisky producers from Speyside and welcomed members to experience The Macallan. Beyond an extraordinary whisky selection the evening was filled with great conversations and intriguing stories about The Macallan. The BSCC ...
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On 8 March we celebrated the International Women's Day in partnership with Global Thinkers Forum, Malmö University and Athena40 - A Platform for Visionary Leadership. Connecting speakers from around the world to discuss innovation, change & education for women in the digital age. The panel connecting from Malmö was moderated by Maria Tibblin and included: Rebecka Lettevall, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement and Human Rights at Malmö University, Charlotta Löfgren, Professor at Malmö University, Annicken R. Day, Global Culture ...
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US Calls for Revived UK Trade Talks Senior lawmakers in Washington are pushing for a reignition of US-UK trade talks following the successfully negotiated Windsor agreement over Northern Ireland. On Thursday (2nd March) a Democratic senator introduced legislation to give the US president the authority to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK. This proposal was co-sponsored by the second-most senior Republican in the upper chamber of Congress and ...
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Businesses in Northern Ireland (NI) and Great Britain (GB) do not like the current protocol arrangements because of issues related to customs, documentation, VAT etc. on the movement of goods. Businesses want a permanent agreement that can provide stability and certainty and that reduces paperwork and checks for goods only sold or consumed in NI. The Windsor Framework improves the situation by: Businesses in GB and NI joining the Trusted Traders’ ...
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Northern Ireland Trade Deal PM Sunak on Monday, 27th February, announced a “new chapter” in UK-EU relations after agreeing upon the ‘Windsor framework’ to change the existing Northern Ireland protocol. The details of the agreement are currently being reviewed by MPs with senior members within the party, such as former PM Theresa May MP, calling upon fellow MPs to support the Windsor framework. The leader of the opposition, Labour, also said ...
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We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates and congratulate BNP Paribas, Fogel & Partners, and Vattenfall on recent achievements. BNP Paribas Bank of the Year. BNP Paribas has, by the British publication IFR, been awarded the prestigious prize from the IFR Awards. It rewards BNP Paribas ability to execute their long-term plan, achieving ...
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First Minister of Scotland Resigns The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, resigned last week (15th February) which will trigger the party’s first leadership contest in almost 20 years. The SNP control 45 (of 59) Scottish seats in the House of Commons and are in control of the Scottish Parliament with 64 (of 129) seats. The SNP are a Scottish nationalist and social ...
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UK Economy Avoids Recession The UK narrowly avoided entering a recession in 2022 following zero growth (0%) in the fourth quarter of the year; although, the Bank of England (BoE) forecasts the UK to fall into a short and shallow recession this year. The chancellor described the economy as demonstrating an “underlying resilience” but warned that the UK is “not out of the woods” yet. It is worth noting that December ...
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