DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - As Thames Water's financial troubles raise questions about such investments, Britain will next week try to persuade pension schemes to plough billions of pounds into infrastructure and start-ups in its next leg of post-Brexit reforms. British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt will on Monday set out the government's latest thinking on getting cash locked up in pension pots to work in the economy. The Conservative government's long-trailed policy focuses on persuading pension schemes to invest a portion of their money in infrastructure, start-ups and 'green' technology. But the problems at Thames Water, which is battling for survival under 14 billion pounds ($18 billion) of debt, would leave some pension schemes that had made large investments in it embarrassed, said independent pensions consultant John Ralfe. The finance ministry had no immediate comment on Hunt's speech, but the pensions industry has already said it opposes mandatory investment quotas.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, John Ralfe, Ralfe, Nobody, Huw Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: Thames, British, Conservative, Amsterdam, London, EU, Thomson Locations: Britain, London's, New York, London

☆ Savers should be cheering higher interest rates. So why are they unhappy?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —When central banks raise interest rates, mortgage borrowers can expect higher monthly repayments, while savers are supposed to be rewarded with bigger returns on their deposits. In Asia, the picture is less uniform: China cut its benchmark lending rate last month, adding to recent reductions in other interest rates, and Japan has kept its main interest rate negative in a bid to stimulate demand. However, rates on savings accounts there are closer to the central bank’s main rate than in other major economies. “While interest rates were ultra-low, the mortgage market was incredibly competitive, so [banks] were operating on unusually small margins between savings rates and mortgage deals… so they’re busy filling their boots,” she said. The top 100 US money market funds tracked by Crane Data are offering an average annual interest rate of 4.94%.

Persons: Nathan Howard, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Coles, Hargreaves Lansdown, ”, Christopher Furlong, Crane, Peter Crane, they’ve Organizations: London CNN, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, US Federal Reserve, Bloomberg, Getty, European Central Bank, of, CNN, Getty Images Bank, Finance, Bank of England’s, HSBC, Barclays, Crane Data, Bank of England, “ Locations: Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Asia, China, Japan, South Korea

☆ Battling Brexit, some British firms turn to invest in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

German data show British firms opened 170 foreign direct investment projects in Europe's biggest economy last year as companies sought a foothold in the bloc's single market. That's a far cry from the 50 enquiries from British firms - rather than projects committed - recorded by German Trade & Invest in 2015, the year before the Brexit referendum. Pro-Brexit economists say such data ignore the fact British corporate investment boomed in the years before mid-2016, and it was bound to slow. British firms are also waiting to hear how - or even if - London intends to compete with the enormous green energy and tech subsidies pitched by the United States and EU. At Farrat, the effects of Brexit are insidious, running beyond decisions over investments, said Farrell, describing a sense of unease felt towards British firms from potential foreign clients, worn down by years of political turmoil"People are nervous.

Persons: Brexit, Oliver Farrell, Andy Burnham, Burnham, it's, capitalising, Steve Connor, Connor, Jeremy Hunt, Farrell, Dave, Subrah Krishnan Harihara, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, David Clarke Organizations: European Union, Reuters, German Trade, Invest, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Reuters Graphics, Labour Party, EU, Creative Concern, European Commission, Manchester Chambers of Commerce, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Britain, Manchester, Germany, English, Europe's, Netherlands, France, United States, England's, London, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Farrat, EU, Warwick, West Midlands

☆ UK banks asked by lawmakers if they're 'exploiting' savers with low rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - British banks faced fresh criticism on Monday for the savings rates they offer to cash-strapped customers, in the latest intervention by parliament's influential Treasury Select Committee. British banks have come under pressure from lawmakers and consumer campaigners for not passing on the extent of higher Bank of England rates to savings customers. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt also said last week banks were too slow to pass on increases in central bank rates to savers and that the problem needed to be resolved. Top executives from the banks were grilled by the Treasury committee on savings rates during a session in February. "Savings rates have increased and we always encourage people to shop around for the product and interest rate that is suited to their needs," the spokesperson added.

Persons: Harriett Baldwin, Jeremy Hunt, Baldwin, Iain Withers, Jason Neely, David Holmes Organizations: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Bank of, Treasury, Finance, Financial, Authority, Thomson

☆ Italy may have dodged a ‘pasta strike’ but food inflation is still high. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But it shelved the plan, citing “noticeable” falls in pasta prices. Pasta prices dipped in May compared with April, though provisional official data released Wednesday showed that they ticked up again this month. Broader food price inflation, albeit slowing, is still high in Italy and elsewhere. Concerns have grown that retailers and food producers are deliberately keeping prices high to boost profit margins — claims they strenuously deny. That meant they had “locked in higher prices” for longer, he told a gathering of central bankers in Portugal.

Persons: Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Pasta, Remo Casilli, Andrew Bailey, “, Mintec, Andrew Woods, ”, Jack Allen, Reynolds, That’s, Christine Lagarde, ” Nestlé, ” Lagarde, Jeremy Hunt, —, Cristiano Laurenza, ” — Valentina Di Donato, Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN, CNN, ”, Bank of England, Labor, European Union, Capital Economics, European Central Bank, Wednesday, Competition, Markets Authority, Unione Italiana Food Locations: Italian, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Cecco's, Fara San Martino, Portugal, Europe, European, “, Sweden

DIRTY BEACHESClean water campaign groups accuse the water companies of failing to invest in infrastructure. She was replaced by two co-chief executives, Chief Finance Officer Alastair Cochran and former Ofwat boss Cathryn Ross, who has been at Thames Water since 2021. Jefferies analysts said Britain's listed water operators Severn Trent (SVT.L), Pennon Group (PNN.L) and United Utilities (UU.L) were better capitalised than Thames Water, but the issues with the largest company meant a "heightened regulatory environment". Daily headlines about rivers and beaches polluted by sewage released by water companies look set to turn water into a major issue at the next general election, expected next year. Thames Water said in its annual report in October that it had not paid a dividend to its shareholders for the last five years.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Bentley, Alastair Cochran, Cathryn Ross, Alix, Ofwat, Australia's Macquarie, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Radhika Anilkumar, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Company, British, Sky News, Conservatives, Thames, Times, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Water, Alix Partners, Daily Telegraph, Jefferies, Trent, Pennon, United Utilities, Environment Agency, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Britain, Thames

☆ UK banks are appropriate airbag for mortgage crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last year this was 2.9% on average for Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays. Hunt may be able to get banks to hike their savings rates merely by veiled threats. After all, the government would only be getting banks to do what they should be doing anyway. “It is taking too long for the increase in interest rates to be passed on to savers, particularly with instant access accounts,” Hunt told parliament. Around 60% of household deposits are held in instant access accounts, the committee said.

Persons: Banks, Jeremy Hunt, shouldn’t, it’s, Hunt, ” Hunt, “, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Monday, Banking Group, NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds, JPMorgan, NatWest –, Alpha, Treasury, Bank of England, Labour Party, National Savings and Investments, of, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Barclays –, Thomson

☆ Britain is facing a mortgage crisis. There are no easy answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Mortgage painThe announcement comes a day after the Bank of England raised interest rates by half a percentage point to help bring down stubborn inflation. More than 2 million UK mortgage holders paying a fixed interest rate are facing an increase of hundreds of pounds in monthly repayments when they are forced to refinance this year and next. Many borrowers bought their homes when mortgage rates were closer to 1% or 2%. That sets the country apart from other major economies, including the United States, where on both measures inflation has started to ease. After the latest rise in interest rates Thursday, Hunt said the government would “stick to [its] guns” on keeping rates high to tame high prices.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Coles, Hargreaves Lansdown, ”, Matt Hammerstein, David Duffy, Debbie Crosby, James Manning, ” Max Mosley, Jake Berry, Sunak, Liz Truss, Brexit, Mark Carney, Charlie Bean, Hunt, ” — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN, UK Treasury, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, BCS, CNN, Bank of England, National Institute of Economic, Social Research, Virgin Money, Conservative Party, Institute for Fiscal Studies, European Union, Bank of, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Britain

☆ UK's Hunt says banks agree to ease mortgage payments strain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said he had agreed new measures with banks and other mortgage lenders on Friday to help homeowners who struggle to meet the cost of fast-rising interest rates. "We agreed some very important things for people who are worried about their rates going up," Hunt said, a day after the Bank of England raised interest rates to 5.0% to fight high inflation. The measures include allowing people who reduce their payments, such as by extending the period of their mortgage or moving to interest-only, to go back to their original package within six months with no impact on their credit rating. Another measure sought to help people at risk of losing their home, with banks agreeing to a minimum 12-month period before a repossession without consent takes place, Hunt said after meeting representatives of the lenders. Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Muvija M; writing by William Schomberg; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Kylie MacLellan, William Schomberg, William James Our Organizations: Bank of England, Thomson Locations: British

"There has been significant upside news in recent data that indicates more persistence in the inflation process," the MPC said. BoE policymakers had given little indication that a half-point rate increase was under consideration in the run-up to Thursday's announcement. Expectations for BoE rate tightening have surged in recent days - sharply raising the cost of new mortgages - and before Thursday's decision financial markets expected the BoE's Bank Rate to peak at 6% by the end of the year. The central bank also noted that short-dated British government bond yields had risen sharply - pricing in an average level of Bank Rate of 5.5% for the next three years. Last month the central bank forecast that inflation would fall to just over 5% by the end of this year and be below its 2% target in early 2025.

Persons: BoE, Silvana Tenreyro, Swati Dhingra, Andrew Bailey, Jeremy Hunt, Joachim Nagel, Jerome Powell, David Milliken, Suban Abdulla, BRITAIN BOE Organizations: Bank of England, MPC, Reuters, Central, U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Swedish, Norwegian, Britain

WHY HAVE UK MORTGAGE RATES SOARED? There are two main types of mortgage rate - variable and fixed. Fixed rate mortgages lock in a particular interest rate upfront, usually for a period of two to five years. Banks say they have to reflect these market moves to avoid pricing mortgages at a loss. Critics say banks could do much more, particularly as they have passed rate rises through to savers much more slowly than mortgage rates have risen.

Persons: BoE, Banks, Nicholas Mendes, John Charcol, Mendes, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Roger Gewolb, Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers, Catherine Evans Organizations: Soaring, Bank of, WHO, Finance, ASK, Labour, Fair Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, Bank of England, States

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast that the annual consumer price inflation rate would drop to 8.4% in May, moving further away from October's 41-year high of 11.1%. "May's CPI figures ratchet up the pressure on the Monetary Policy Committee to increase Bank Rate substantially further over the coming months," Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said. Food and drink price inflation dropped slightly to 18.3% from April's 19.0%. The BoE is widely expected to raise interest rates on Thursday to 4.75% from 4.5%. After Wednesday's data, markets fully priced in interest rates reaching 6% by December - up from around a 50% chance of such a move on Tuesday.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Samuel Tombs, Sterling, BoE, Grant Fitzner, . Paul Dales, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Bank of, Reuters, Monetary, Committee, Pantheon, U.S ., National Statistics, ., Capital Economics, Bank, Fed, ECB, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Bank of England

☆ UK has little wiggle room on mortgage aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to provide relief for mortgage borrowers buckling under soaring interest rates. The problem is that mortgage relief dilutes the Bank of England’s fight against inflation, which remained stubbornly high at 8.7% in May. The UK government is to meet mortgage lenders to discuss helping households struggling with their home loans, finance minister Jeremy Hunt told parliament on June 20. However, Hunt ruled out introducing state-backed support to help mortgage borrowers facing higher costs due to soaring interest rates. Hunt said that offering government mortgage relief would be inflationary.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, –, Jeremy Hunt, BoE, Hunt, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, UK Finance, Conservatives, Labour Party, Bank of England’s, Conservative Party, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Spain, Poland

☆ UK inflation exceeds expectations in May, piling pressure on the government and Bank of England
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The OECD recently predicted that the UK will experience the highest inflation among all advanced economies this year. Inflation dipped below 10% in April but continues to exceed consensus forecasts and remains significantly higher than the Bank of England 's 2% target. The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH), the ONS' preferred metric, rose by 7.9% in the 12 months to May 2023, up from 7.8% in April. LONDON — U.K. inflation came in hotter than expected in May, as consumer prices rose by an annual 8.7%, unchanged from the previous month. However, he said the Bank will now "feel like it has no choice, especially with core inflation now rising again."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Marcus Brookes, Brookes, Thiru Organizations: OECD, Bank of England, ONS, Office, National Statistics, Reuters, LONDON, Organization, Economic Cooperation, Development, CPI, Quilter Investors, Bank Locations: Sheffield

☆ Former PM Cameron says Britain was prepared for flu-like pandemic rather than COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Former prime minister David Cameron told an inquiry on Monday that Britain was prepared for a flu-type pandemic but not enough work was done in advance to confront an asymptomatic disease similar to COVID-19. Britain is holding an inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic after Britain recorded one of the world's highest death tolls. It could prove a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was finance minister during the pandemic and faces an election expected next year. "When you think: what would be different if more time had been spent on a high-infectious asymptomatic pandemic, different recommendations would've been made about what was necessary to prepare for." Cameron's finance minister George Osborne will testify on Tuesday while Jeremy Hunt, the current finance minister and health minister under Cameron, will give evidence on Wednesday.

Persons: David Cameron, Hugo Keith, Rishi Sunak, Cameron, COVID, would've, George Osborne, Jeremy Hunt, Alistair Smout, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Retail and films drive modest growth in UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's economy grew by 0.2% month-on-month in April, the Office for National Statistics said, matching the consensus in a Reuters poll of economists. Over the three months to April, Britain's economy expanded just 0.1% - a "low growth trajectory" according to the British Chambers of Commerce. The ONS said the economy in April stood 0.3% above its pre-pandemic level of February 2020. Services output rose 0.3% on the month, with the wholesale and retail trade the biggest driver of growth. But manufacturing output dropped 0.3% and the construction sector contracted unexpectedly by 0.6%, the figures showed.

Persons: Samuel Tombs, Jeremy Hunt, Sumanta Sen, William James, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: National Statistics, Financial, Bank of England, British Chambers of Commerce, Reuters, ONS, Thomson Locations: British

☆ UK employment hits record high but the economy is still short 1 million workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —The number of people in work in the United Kingdom has climbed above its pre-pandemic level for the first time, reaching a record high. Employment hit a record 33.1 million between February and April, with increases in both the number of employees and self-employed workers, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. Employment in the United Kingdom has recovered more slowly than in any other major economy since the pandemic, according to the UK Institute for Employment Studies. This is the fastest rise on record, apart from the period when the figures were distorted by the pandemic, Morgan noted. Food inflation remained above 19% — near a 45-year high — hitting poor households the hardest because they spend more of their available income on food.

Persons: Darren Morgan, Morgan, Liz Truss, Jeremy Hunt, ”, Ashley Webb, Anna Cooban Organizations: London CNN, National Statistics, Employment, UK Institute for Employment Studies, Bank of, “, Capital Economics, Bank, Ill Locations: United Kingdom, Europe, United States

☆ UK supermarket Asda freezes prices of 500 products
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has set a 2023 target to halve overall inflation but the goal has been undermined as inflation has remained stubbornly high, particularly food inflation. Overall UK consumer price inflation ran at 8.7% in April, the most recent official data showed, while food and drink inflation was 19.1%, just below a 46-year high. Food retailers have said they expect prices to rise in 2023 overall but with the rate of inflation declining through the year. Last week the French government secured a pledge from 75 top food companies to cut prices on hundreds of products. Last month, British finance minister Jeremy Hunt met food manufacturers to raise concerns about the surge in food prices, but no formal price controls were proposed.

Persons: cornflakes, Rishi Sunak, Clive Black, Jeremy Hunt, Kantar, James Davey, Sarah Young, Mark Potter Organizations: Grocers, Asda, Tesco, Foods, Waitrose, Shore Capital, Thomson

☆ British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pitches UK as home of A.I. safety regulation as London bids to be next Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to the media during London Tech Week at the QEII centre on June 12, 2023. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a big pitch to the tech community Monday, casting the U.K. as a global center for artificial intelligence and regulation of the technology. "I want to make the U.K. not just the intellectual home but the geographical home of global AI safety regulation," Sunak added. However, the U.K. is trying to make measures of its own to be more of a leader in the world of AI. The government in March published a white paper detailing its plan for AI regulation, which sought to take a principles-based approach to the technology rather than proposing new tailored regulations.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Jeremy Hunt Organizations: British, London Tech, Microsoft Locations: London, Silicon, U.S, Union

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday applied for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction seeking to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard before the deal's July 18 deadline. If the deal falls apart, Microsoft might wind up owing Activision Blizzard a termination fee worth up to $3 billion. The FTC sued to block the acquisition in December 2022, choosing to bring the case before its internal administrative law judge. A hearing on the FTC's case will begin on Aug. 2, the agency said in Monday's filing. Regulators had originally felt that Microsoft might be able to prevent other companies from distributing Activision Blizzard games on other consoles other than Microsoft's Xbox.

Persons: Satya Nadella, it's, Brad Smith, Bobby Kotick, Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Jim Ryan, Lulu Cheng Meservey Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Bloomberg, Economic, Federal Trade Commission, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, FTC, Microsoft, Activision, Sony, Xbox, Competition, Markets Authority, Regulators, Sony PlayStation, Sony Interactive Locations: Davos, Switzerland, U.S

☆ Britain is getting so desperate to tame inflation it’s talking about food price caps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Food inflation dipped slightly to 15.4% in May, but that’s still the second-highest rate on record. But chocolate and coffee prices are rising as global commodity prices soar, British Retail Consortium CEO Helen Dickinson said. Price controls anyone? “The current food price shock does not warrant such an intervention,” he added. Brexit is responsible for about a third of UK food price inflation since 2019, according to researchers at the London School of Economics.

☆ European markets close higher with U.S. debt ceiling talks in final stages; tech stocks up 3%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt told Sky News he would be comfortable with Bank of England rate hikes pushing the economy into a recession as long as inflation comes down. "Because in the end, inflation is a source of instability," Hunt said. Money markets raised their bets on the central bank's peak rate from 4.75% to 5.5% after figures out Wednesday showed inflation fell by less than forecast. The bank's base rate is currently 4.5% and a 25 basis point hike in June is widely expected. Gilt yields have been moving higher, nearing levels last seen in the wake of former Prime Minister Liz Truss's market-rattling mini budget last October.

☆ Nearly half of UK firms to defer investment due to tax rises, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Almost half of medium-sized British companies plan to delay investment plans due to last month's rise in corporation tax, a survey published on Monday found. Britain's headline rate of corporation tax rose to 25% in April from 19% the year before, under the enactment of a policy announced in March 2021. "The recent rise in the headline corporation tax rate will dampen current business investment plans although the positive reaction to the new full expensing capital allowances regime suggests this may only be a short-term effect," said Paul Falvey, a tax partner at BDO. The BDO survey was based on responses from 512 companies polled between March 30 and April 16. ($1 = 0.7923 pounds)Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK is committed to making electric vehicle batteries, Hunt says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Britain will ensure that batteries needed to power electric vehicles (EVs) are produced domestically, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday, a day after carmakers warned insufficient production could hurt investment in the country. "We are absolutely committed to making sure the UK is able to source onshore EV batteries that we need," Hunt said in a presentation to manufacturers on Thursday. Under the deal, 45% of the value of an EV sold in the EU must come from Britain or the EU from 2024 to avoid tariffs. On Wednesday, Hunt urged the industry to "watch this space" on the issue of British battery production. Reporting by William Schomberg; writing by David Milliken; Editing by Alistair SmoutOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK regulators must understand need to promote growth, Hunt says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - British regulators should understand the need to promote growth, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday when asked about the UK's antitrust watchdog's decision to block Microsoft's (MSFT.O) $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O). "One of the reasons that companies like Microsoft and Google want to invest in the UK is because we have independent regulators that aren't controlled by politicians," Hunt told a business conference. "I would not want to undermine that at all, but I do think it's important all our regulators understand their wider responsibilities for economic growth." The European Union cleared the deal on Monday, accepting a practically identical set of remedies put forward by Microsoft that the CMA had rejected. Reporting by David Milliken and Sachin Ravikumar, writing by William James, editing by Paul SandleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Search resuls for: "Jeremy Hunt"

25 mentions found