Monday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Bank of England, Corbyn
Public opinion is swinging behind “Brexit”, with more people in favour of leaving than remaining in the European Union. A YouGov poll for The Times today shows 40 per cent backing a pullout and only 38 per cent opting to stay in. The last time the “leave” campaign was in the front was in November last year. The “stay” campaign had a ten-point lead in June, but, after a summer dominated by the migrant crisis, public opinion appears to have shifted. - The Times
The Centre for Economics and Business Research now believes a rise in in May or August 2016 is more likely than one in February, its previous prediction. Signs of a global economic slowdown have been growing in recent weeks, especially in the world’s second-largest economy China and emerging markets. This is likely tointerest rates stay the Bank’s hand despite reasonable growth rates in the UK, with the CEBR warning that the UK’s performance may not be sustainable if economies elsewhere continue to struggle. - The Guardian
A plot to target Labour MPs who refuse to serve under Jeremy Corbyn has been revealed in a leaked email from a senior officer in Britain’s biggest union. The plan is the first concrete evidence of moves to mobilise Mr Corbyn’s supporters against moderate MPs. - The Times
Saudi Arabia has withdrawn tens of billions of dollars from global asset managers as the oil-rich kingdom seeks to cut its widening deficit and reduce exposure to volatile equities markets amid the sustained slump in oil prices. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency’s foreign reserves have slumped by nearly $73bn since oil prices started to decline last year as the kingdom keeps spending to sustain the economy and fund its military campaign in Yemen. - Financial Times
John McDonnell, Labour’s shadow chancellor, will map out plans for a big tax rise on the rich and on business as he sets out a “new economics” intended to redistribute wealth across society and to all parts of Britain. Mr McDonnell is also expected to announce on Monday that Labour is launching “a radical review of the national institutions that manage our economy”, which is expected to focus on the Bank of England. - Financial Times
President Putin slated American support for anti-government rebels in Syria as illegal and counterproductive last night as he prepared to muscle his way back on to the world stage by launching a coalition to fight Isis. With US policy in Syria facing widespread criticism and its influence in the war waning, the Russian leader has formed a Moscow-led alliance to battle the jihadists in the run-up to his first appearance in a decade at the UN general assembly today. - The Times