Brexit

Johnson’s legal spanking barely moves Brexit dial

24 Sep 2019

The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that the government illegally shut down parliament would normally be the end of the British prime minister. But his majority has already disappeared. The most likely outcome remains as before: another Brexit extension and a bitter election.

Johnson’s “do or die” Brexit is unravelling

3 Sep 2019

The prime minister promised to leave the EU by Oct. 31. Britain’s parliament may force him to again delay departure, and a fallback plan for an early election hinges on unlikely opposition support. Just six weeks in, Boris Johnson is running out of ways to escape the Brexit mire.

Viewsroom: Brexit’s pro-rogue nation

29 Aug 2019

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has prorogued parliament, cutting the time available for lawmakers to thwart a planned Oct. 31 EU departure. What does this mean for Brexit and the UK economy? Plus: we pick through the wreckage of China’s crashing automotive market.

Johnson’s Brexit manoeuvre brings crisis to a head

28 Aug 2019

Britain’s prime minister wants to cut the time available for parliament to thwart his planned Oct. 31 departure from the European Union. Lawmakers who want to prevent a chaotic “no-deal” Brexit will have to move quickly. The chances of a contentious election have increased.

Hadas: The right Brexit is still no Brexit

28 Aug 2019

Three years and two prime ministers after a divisive referendum, the UK is as far as ever from a national consensus on how to leave the EU. A decision to stay now would be economically sensible, globally responsible - and politically no harder than any variety of separation.

Brexit makes Carney less of a central bank oddity

1 Aug 2019

Bank of England boss Mark Carney is, like everyone, in the dark about whether Britain will crash out of the EU. Without that uncertainty, he might be tightening policy when peers are either easing or hinting they might. Being odd man out would be better than the current limbo.

Brexit pulls Ireland out of ECB force field

30 Jul 2019

Yields on Irish bonds have been rising even as they fall across the euro zone. Fear of a chaotic UK exit from the EU outweighs hope of European Central Bank easing. Dublin lacks its own currency or control of monetary policy. Public spending will have to cushion any shocks.

Viewsroom: UK’s new PM looks for the exit

25 Jul 2019

Boris Johnson helped persuade Britons to vote to leave the EU. London’s former mayor now leads the country – and may find his pledge to quit the European bloc hard to keep. Meanwhile, U.S. watchdogs are circling Amazon, Alphabet, Apple and Facebook. Plus: Protests rock Hong Kong.

New UK finance minister is a man for all seasons

24 Jul 2019

Boris Johnson picked Sajid Javid, an ex-Deutsche banker, to run the economy. The former home secretary's ideas chime with his boss’s plans to spend more. And while some Brexiteers may mistrust him, his business-friendly past offers comfort to those fearing a disorderly EU exit.

Boris Johnson’s political triumph will be fleeting

23 Jul 2019

Britain’s soon-to-be prime minister has won the office he long coveted. But to keep it, he must either pass a Brexit agreement that eluded his predecessor, persuade his party to leave the EU without a deal, or win an election. Rash promises have increased his chances of failure.

Review: Blaming big data is political diversion

19 Jul 2019

The documentary “The Great Hack” shows how Cambridge Analytica targeted voters in the 2016 U.S. election and Brexit referendum, partly using Facebook. It’s chilling but ignores how economic forces swayed those polls. Focusing on tech’s threat to democracy oversimplifies politics.

“Do or die” Brexit condemns sterling to new lows

16 Jul 2019

The pound fell to its weakest in two years against the dollar. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, rivals to be Britain’s next leader, are vying to take the hardest stance on the UK’s exit from the EU. If they stick to their guns, the currency will suffer long before the economy does.

Viewsroom: What makes companies proud of Pride?

27 Jun 2019

Neither profit nor investor pressure explain U.S. firms lining up to mark 50 years of the LGBT-rights movement. They may simply be doing the right thing. But the nation still has a long way to go. Plus: how the UK prime minister race affects the Bank of England’s next boss.

Boris Johnson may spice up UK central bank race

24 Jun 2019

The frontrunner to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May tends to stray from the script. That increases the chances of an unconventional candidate replacing Mark Carney as the head of the Bank of England. If Johnson makes the pick, it could even be his most lasting legacy.

UK stocks ignore Boris Johnson’s roar

4 Jun 2019

Prime Minister Theresa May will probably be replaced by a eurosceptic like the former foreign secretary. He and other contenders threaten to drag Britain out of the EU without a deal. Yet while Brexit has hit UK share prices, investors are showing little sign of rising alarm.

Trump gives Britain glimpse of post-Brexit reality

3 Jun 2019

Before his plane had touched down, the U.S. president intervened in the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May and insulted London’s mayor. Leaving the EU will make the UK more dependent on its erratic ally for trade and security. Trump’s visit makes that look less appealing.

May’s replacement will face same Brexit dilemma

24 May 2019

The British prime minister’s resignation was inevitable. But the Conservative party’s next leader will have no chance of negotiating a better Brexit deal, and faces the same parliamentary opposition. That leaves a risky election as one of the few remaining options.

Brexit extension lets UK remain in name only

11 Apr 2019

Postponing its EU exit to October 31 avoids a chaotic departure and gives the country more time to find a way out of its impasse. That probably requires a new government or another referendum. While Britain is still an EU member, it has been reduced to the role of a spectator.

Theresa May’s soft-Brexit pivot has three barriers

3 Apr 2019

The prime minister offered to strike a deal with the opposition Labour party to avoid crashing out of the EU. Its leader Jeremy Corbyn may refuse to help, her own party might revolt, and Europe could reject another extension. A chaotic Brexit is less likely, but still possible.

Brexit gives easyJet handy excuse for summer blues

1 Apr 2019

The low-cost airline blamed political turbulence in Britain for weak passenger demand. Anaemic euro zone growth is probably a bigger culprit. With fuel costs rising and air-traffic disruption still likely, easyJet will struggle to repeat last year’s high-flying performance.