John Bruton | The current political system in the United Kingdom, and the anxieties and obsessions it has generated, determine the British position on Brexit. This expresses itself in an artificially inflexible and brittle interpretation of the 2016 referendum result. Scope and time are needed for creative thinking.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | Spain could use Britain’s exit from the EU to bargain for a new settlement for Gibraltar but vows not to.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | Brexit and Trump may have made Europeans realize bad things can happen — and shocked them out of their complacency.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | A year has passed since Britain voted to leave the European Union and huge questions remain unanswered. For example, what’s going to happen to Britain’s £700 billion trade with the EU? or how many planes will be allowed to fly across the Channel once Britain exits Europe’s open-skies regime?
Iberdrola’s stock had a good performance this year despite the difficult conditions faced by the group in two of its main markets (the UK and Spain). The negative effect was mainly on the generation and supply side as earnings in this segment decreased by 32%: the UK’s earnings contracted by 75% and the Spanish by 19%. As pointed by Carax- Alphavalue “this was due to lower plant operations (load factor) with contracting margins added to low hydro production and higher transmission costs
Despite the success of the Brexit vote last June, the indicators show that 2016 has not only not been a bad year, but has been one of the best in terms of bilateral Spanish-UK economic relations. Spanish exports reached record highs, despite the pound’s depreciation. And Spanish companies are committed to maintaining investments in the UK.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | British prime minister Theresa May has adopted a policy her Conservative predecessor, David Cameron, once described as “nuts”. When the opposition Labour Party proposed to freeze electricity rates in 2013, Cameron, then the Conservative Party leader, ridiculed it.
British prime minister Theresa May could put a cap on the increase in electricity and gas prices in the UK, while also cutting water and gas charges, if she is re-elected. This sort of measure could affect Iberdrola’s UK business, which accounts for 25% of group EBITDA.
Last week marked the last prime minister’s questions before the British election in June and seems a good place to examine the reasons Theresa May might be less secure that she seems. While her Conservative Party is 21 points ahead of Labour in the polls — its biggest lead in almost a decade — there are four reasons to doubt it will stay there.