Brexit

A rail tunnel between Guernsey and France via Jersey would cost around £5.6bn and take up to 10 years to build, according to a tunnelling engineer. The idea of a rail link is being driven by local entrepreneur and former Guernsey Chamber of Commerce president Martyn Dorey. Dorey took inspiration…

None of the UK’s construction bodies was invited to a meeting with cabinet minister Michael Gove on the eve of Brexit to discuss regulation and border issues. On the day before Britain officially leaves the EU, the Financial Times reported that Gove told a collection of business representatives that there would…

Boris Johnson will scrap plans for a £30,000 minimum-salary threshold for migrant workers, according to the Times. The newspapers claims the prime minister will abandon Theresa May's proposals for an Australian-style points-based immigration system. The new rules would see earnings considered alongside other criteria such as English proficiency, educational qualifications, occupation and…

Demand in the UK construction market is set to pick up thanks to the Conservative Party's decisive election win, according to Altrad chief executive Louis Huetz. The clear result has removed much of the uncertainty that has dogged the UK market and will lead to more clients going ahead with…

The industry needs “stability and confidence” as the UK prepares for Brexit, construction minister Nadhim Zahawi has said. In a speech to the Westminster Business Forum group yesterday, the minister said he was intentionally focusing on the existing approached outlined in the previously announced Construction Sector Deal, rather than committing to…

Stanmore, the UK’s second largest envelope specialist, gave up stockpiling material ahead of Brexit as the process of leaving the European Union stalled last year, it has emerged. Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2019 released this week show the Kent-based firm increased turnover to £135m compared to £124m…

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds has told Construction News that the effect of the Brexit vote on the construction workforce has not been as bad as expected. Responding to a question from CN about the effects of Brexit and tightening immigration laws under a potential Conservative government, Mr Reynolds said: “I'm…

Graham executive chairman Michael Graham has stressed the importance of paying subcontractors on time in order to keep them on jobs. In an interview at the Construction News Summit, Mr Graham was asked about the contractor's previous claim that paying subcontractors on time was partly responsible for an £11m drop…

Higher demand for residential jobs in the third quarter of the year helped to offset a fall in infrastructure orders, new Office for National Statistics data has revealed. Across the construction sector, new orders increased 0.3 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2019. The rise was largely down…

Severfield CEO Alan Dunsmore has said that the next government will need to be more resolute in investing in major infrastructure to help the UK economy after the general election. Speaking to Construction News after the release of the structural steel firm’s half-year results, Mr Dunsmore said: “We would like…