Share Sounds from Share Radio Breakfast related to Politics

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting US President Donald Trump for the first time. So, can they establish a solid working relationship? Last year, Trump accused Merkel of 'going off the reservation' during the refugee crisis and characterised her policies as a 'total disgrace'. However, this could be water under the bridge as it will be strictly business for Merkel who is expected to raise issues including the Nato contributions, the fight against ISIS, and trade. Graham Lanktree, Foreign Reporter with the International Business Times, joined Share Radio Breakfast to look ahead to the meeting.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) says the UK construction industry could lose almost 200,000 EU workers if Britain leaves the single market. It argues that alternative plans need to be put in place in the event of a hard Brexit, otherwise some of the country's biggest infrastructure and construction projects could be put under threat. Abdul Choudhury, RICS Policy Manager for London, joined Nigel Cassidy on Share Radio Breakfast to discuss this.

The boss of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, is engulfed in a massive bribery scandal that's threatening to put him in jail. The case is also linked to the huge scandal that led to the impeachment of South Korea's President Park Geun-hye. Shares in South Korea rose 0.4% in Friday's session after the country's Constitutional Court upheld parliament's impeachment of the President. James Brydges reports.

With the Spring Budget just around the corner, certain industries might be feeling a little worried with tax hikes on the horizon. One of the suggested tax hikes is cigarette tax, with the Chancellor expected to set a Minimum Excise Tax for cigarettes. There are concerns amongst retailers that this tax could have a major impact on their sales, as well as potentially costing UK taxpayers an estimated £1.2 billion in lost revenue. Will Hill, Director of British American Tobacco UK, joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss this further.

DueDil, the company information platform, has today announced it’s expanding the coverage of its company data, which is set to enable new trade opportunities for millions of companies across the UK and Europe. Justin Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder of DueDil, joined Nigel Cassidy on Share Radio Breakfast to discuss the expansion and how the company can reboost trade in a post-Brexit world.

Donald Trump's given his first address to a joint session of Congress, where he set out in greater detail his plans to cut spending and boost the economy. So what is Trump's plan of action? Chris Bailey, Founder of Financial Orbit, joined Nigel Cassidy on Share Radio Breakfast to discuss this and more.

Donald Trump is speaking to Congress tonight. Shares in American Construction-materials companies rose in anticipation that he might finally make good on promises about a massive infrastructure-spending programme in the US. Trump also says he'd boost defense spending by $54bn in his proposed budget plan for 2018, which is about a 9% increase. Share Radio's Nigel Cassidy was joined by Jeremy Cook, Chief Economist at Worldfirst.

Sir John Major is urging Theresa May to use "a lot less cheap rhetoric" into Brexit negotiations. The former Conservative Prime Minister, who campaigned for Remain ahead of the referendum, says he's worried the exit deal will fall "well below the hopes and expectations" that have been raised. Here's a excerpt from the speech he gave to International Affairs thinktank Chatham House.

John Feeney, Managing Director, Commercial Real Estate at Lloyds Banking Group, joined Juliette Foster on Share Radio Breakfast to talk about the call from top business leaders for urgent infrastructure investment. Industrial strategy is a hot topic at the moment, and infrastructure seems to be at the heart of it. So how is the UK's national infrastructure fairing up against that of other developed countries?

Jack Sommers, News Editor at the Huffington Post, joined Nigel Cassidy to look forward to Theresa May's visit to the US today. She’ll be the first foreign leader to meet Donald Trump, a week into his Presidency.