Brexit

The emerging theme of UK negotiations with the European Union is divergence, which means a major move away from the regulations and rules that have governed the industry for decades. Exactly how far the UK and EU will diverge, and in which areas, isn’t yet clear, but we do know…

The government’s post-Brexit immigration proposals have earned mixed reviews from the construction sector. Interviewing Morgan Sindall chief executive John Morgan over the phone this morning, I could almost hear his shrugging shoulders when I broached the topic: “I don’t know how others feel, but we feel relatively relaxed about it,”…

Looking back, 2019 racked up a grim tally of business failures, with roughly one contractor going bust every fortnight. Sadly, there is not much reason to suppose that 2020 will prove any kinder to overstretched firms struggling with sticky cashflow. The economic backdrop certainly seems unlikely to help. While December’s…

It has been quite a year for construction. CN editor Lem Bingley has a look back at some of the highlights – and, inevitably, low points

January Our first issue of the year investigated a spike in site fires, with incidences of arson having climbed sharply according to Home Office figures…

As 2019 draws to a close, preparing forecasts for the year ahead feels a little easier than attempting the same task a year ago.

But while there appears to be greater certainty about 2020, there are still some significant headwinds that will affect the construction sector. I've identified 10 of the…

“Many of us has dreamed of a day when the Conservative Party genuinely speaks for every part of the country. "We have won from Workington to Woking, we have won in Bishop Auckland, in Darlington, in seats that Conservatives have not won for 100 years or more. Wrexham. Tony Blair’s…

As we prepared our CN Specialists Index earlier this quarter, one theme came through time and time again as we spoke to executives across the industry. Uncertainty over Brexit had effectively paralysed a great deal of potential project activity. Careys chief executive of civil engineering Steve Regan spelled it out…

Migrant workers have long played a key role in UK construction. Foreign workers give employers flexibility to respond to skill needs, particularly the demand for low-skilled workers, and currently comprise 14 per cent of the UK construction workforce, a figure that rises to 54 per cent in London. The government…

Brexit and its political ramifications are a source of great debate, but our industry needs to be prepared for the short, medium, and long-term future, irrespective of the eventual conclusion to Brexit. We cannot wait for politicians to decide our collective future. We must grasp opportunities and drive our own…

In business, we need only four things from a government: clarity, certainty, continuity and most importantly, confidence. We’ve recently experienced a Tory leadership election where there was more blue on blue than a rugby scrum at a policeman’s ball. Then there was the proroguing of parliament, which had the net…