Share Sounds. presented by Juliette Foster related to Economics - UK

We stood back to get an overview of UK markets with Andrew Parry, Head of Equities, Hermes Investment Management, covering NIESR’s figures on the slowdown in the UK economy from July, the UK’s trade deficit, UK industrial output, the 10 year gilt fall today, Sterling falling to a one month low against the dollar & much more.

This week on the Weeks Update we take a pause at the end of what's been a very busy news period for the UK markets and look at some of the most topical highlights from our regular commentator Professor John Week's recent shows, starting with discussion on Theresa May's article 50 comments with Professor Jan Toporofski of SOAS, then the merits of the new Chancellor Phillip Hammond and the performance of his predecessor with the economist Ann Pettifor & finally a closer look at the appeal of Donald Trump to white working class American voters with Professor Michael Zweig of New York State University.

Well some property funds had to stop withdrawals in the wake of Brexit - but now the dust has settled and we have a new Prime Minister could it be a buying opportunity? Naomi Heaton, CEO of London Central Portfolio Ltd - has bravely voluteered to come into the studio today....

The Chancellor George Osborne says he'll slash public spending and increase taxes in an emergency Budget to tackle a £30bn "black hole" if the UK votes to leave the European Union. That could include raising income and inheritance taxes and slashing the NHS budget. 57 rebel Tory MPs have threatened to block the measure which they've said would make the Chancellor's position "untenable". The Chancellor's warning comes as the latest polls suggest that public momentum is moving towards a vote to leave Europe. With both sides pulling out all the stops to change the minds of the vast pool of undecided voters, there is still everything to play for. Today we're going to hear the arguments For and Against Britain remaining in Europe. David Buik is a market commentator at Panmure Gordon and a supporter of the OUT Campaign. John Springford is a Senior fellow at the Centre for European Reform. He's also an Advisor to the House of Commons Treasury Committee for Economics of the Brexit inquiry.

We begin with a clip of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders speaking after his victory in Indiana over rival Hillary Clinton, as they slug it out for the Democratic nomination in the US presidential elections. Although Mrs Clinton as good as has the top prize in her pocket, Mr Sanders has refused to make life easy for her. Despite trailing by an average of seven points in opinion polls and losing bigger states on the east coast, his latest victory shows that he still appeals to disaffected mid-west voters. So...does Bernie Sanders have any further rabbits to pull from a hat...or could Hilary Clinton yet outfox him by inviting him onto her ticket as her running mate? In the studio is Jeff Faux, author of The Servant Economy and founder of the "Economic Policy Institute in Washington", and Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

With the local elections just two days away the Labour party could be on track to suffer one of its worst results in opposition for 34 years....according to one of the country's leading polling experts. Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University believes Labour could lose 170 councillors and control of key local authorities like Redditch and Crawley. It's the latest run of bad news for a party still reeling from claims of anti-Semitism in its ranks. Labour's candidate for Mayor of London, Saddiq Khan, has even warned party leader Jeremy Corbyn that accusations of anti-Semitism will make it more difficult for him to beat his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith. Could Mr Corbyn's days as leader be numbered, and what last minute actions can the party take to avoid a massacre at the polls? Councillor Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Children at Camden Council, is in the studio along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

Retail sales fell at the fastest pace over the last year since January 2012, thats according to the CBI's latest monthly Distributive Trends Survey. Analysts had hoped to see a pick up in growth in the sector and the figures come in the same week as high street retailers BHS and Austin Reed entered administration. Joining Juliette Foster to shed more light on this research is Anna Leach, Head of Economic Analysis at the CBI.

This week experts from Greenwich University's Political Economy Research Centre will publish a report which include proposals to strengthen trade unions and increase the statutory minimum wage in Britain and Europe. Similar themes will be addressed in May when a conference hosted by the University, will argue the case for raising public and private investment to stop Europe lagging behind the US and Japanese economies. The reports are published as the debate over the UK's position in Europe gathers more heat in the run up to June's referrendum, and as questions are raised about the future of think tanks like the "Political Economy Research Centre", which get some or all of their funding from Europe. What future do they have if Britain leaves the EU and what could happen to their research? In the studio are Professor Ozlem Onaran and Doctor Giovanni Cozzi, from the Political Economy Research Centre, and Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

A survey by the professional services group Deloitte, reveals that support for Britain to stay in the European Union, has risen among the Chief Financial Officers of the UK's biggest companies. It also found that the possibility of a British exit, is now the top issue on the corporate worry list. Ian Stewart, is the Chief Economist at Deloitte, and he joined Investment Perspectives host Juliette Foster in the studio for more analysis of the new survey.

On the day that Chancellor George Osborne made his budget speech to the House of Commons, the government's controversial Trade Union Bill was dealt a major blow by peers in the House of Lords. By a majority of 320 votes to 172, they defeated a proposal to change the way that union members pay their dues. It was a strong show of support to a recommendation from a cross-party committee which had said that any changes to party funding should be restricted to new members only. The Lords then ended what had been a bruising session for the government, by giving its overwhelming support to two other bill ammendments. So what happens now? Is the Trade Union Bill dead in the water? Will the government now have to rip it up and start again? Silkie Cragg is the "Policy & Campaigns Support Officer" for the TUC, and Professor John Weeks is Share Radio's regular economics commentator.