New First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf MSP on Tuesday (27th March) was elected as the new leader of the Scottish National party (SNP) and will shortly take the role of First Minister of Scotland. The 37 year-old health secretary won a final round ballot of SNP members (52.1% versus 47.9%) and was seen as a strong defender of the former First Minister of Scotland’s (Sturgeon) progressive policies on social issues. Sturgeon, ...
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We are delighted to introduce our newest members, Henkel and Läkarintyg Direkt. Henkel operates worldwide with leading innovations, brands and technologies in two business areas: Adhesive Technologies and Consumer Brands. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 145 years of success. The company holds leading positions with its two business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and ...
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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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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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