The UK has held on to its top spot in Forbes’ global rankings of the ‘Best Countries for Business’ for a second year running, beating off competition from Sweden and Hong Kong, with only three EU27 countries making it into the top 10. Countries were ranked across 15 categories from ‘property rights’ to ‘red tape’, with the UK the only country to rank in the top 30 for every single one. Even in the ‘political risk’ category, despite Brexit…

Strong November retail sales revealed this morning – up 1.4% month-on-month – have also underlined the UK’s economic resilience, with consumers continuing to spend despite being fed a relentless diet of negativity from economic forecasters. While the political class vacillates, the rest of the country is just getting on with it…