Pound LIVE: Sterling rises despite Barnier bid to frustrate Britain on Brexit trade terms

THE POUND has marked a slight rise against the Euro despite tough talk from the EU on conditions for a post-Brexit transition deal. Britain is being told in no uncertain terms to accept stricter trade terms on immigration and fishing rights.

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Pound Live: Barnier's new "directives"

1.36pm - UPDATE - Bank of England not worried about Carilion crash

After the Carillion crash chaos dominated yesterday's headlines, Sam Woods, deputy governor of the Bank of England, has told MPs that the amount of exposure banks and insurers have to Carillion's loans and debts will not lead to hefty losses.

He said: "Those direct exposures are entirely manageable across all the institutions, there's then the question of will there be a wider, indirect issue with suppliers and that's more difficult for us to get a handle on.

"I'm not massively worried about it."

1.16pm - UPDATE - EU still hoping to change UK's mind

European Union leaders have jumped into the British debate on whether to hold a second referendum on Brexit by saying on Tuesday that Britons would be welcome to stay in the EU.

European Council President Donald Tusk took the opportunity to support those calling for a rethink.

”Brexit will become a reality, with all its negative consequences, in March next year, unless there is a change of heart among our British friends,“ the former Polish premier said. ”We here on the continent haven’t had a change of heart.

“Our hearts are still open to you.”

Picking up on Tusk’s comment, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, whose executive arm is negotiating Britain’s departure, added his endorsement: “He said that our door is still open.

"I hope this is heard in London.”

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Donald Tusk took to Twitter

12.21pm - UPDATE - FTSE down at lunch

The FTSE 100 is having a modest day all Carillion things considered, down 11.40 points to 7,757.74.

The Pound is still up against the Euro and down on the Dollar.

Sterling is up 0.07 per cent to 1.1252 against the Euro, and down 0.24 per cent to 1.376 against the Dollar.

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FTSE is down a little on the day so far

11.23am - UPDATE - Pound stability key to inflation

Following the announcement that UK inflation has fallen to 3 per cent a six-year high of 3.1 per cent, Alistair Ryan, Senior Trader at Frontierpay told Express.co.uk:

“While this morning’s news of a slight drop in inflation remains some way above the BoE’s target of 2 per cent, it comes as a relief, as interest rates are now unlikely to rise again any time soon.

"In terms of the possibility for any further movement in the near future, January’s announcement of higher rail fares will keep inflation around these levels for the next couple of months.

"If the pound can hold on to some of its recent gains, however, we should see the figures begin to fall.

10.36am - UPDATE - Inflation edges down

Inflation dropped down to 3 per cent in December according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Consumer Price Index measure of inflation rose to 3.1 per cent in November a massive 1.1 per cent higher than what the The Bank of England had predicted.

The Pound is up 0.15 per cent against the Euro, but down 0.31 per cent against the Dollar.

9.46am - UPDATE - Britain's love affair with reasonably priced, hot baked goods continues 

High-street favourite Greggs has announced that like-for-like sales for the fourth quarter of the year rose by 3 per cent as shoppers opted for a sausage roll and a cream-filled apple danish while on their Christmas shopping rounds.

Sales have grown 3.7 per cent on the year while total revenue, including trade from new stores opened during the period, rose by 7.4 per cent.

Pound is up a slim 0.08 per cent against the Euro to 1.1253, but down 0.18 per cent from the heights of 1.3769 against the Dollar.

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Greggs rising: The UK loves a hot sausage roll

9.00am - UPDATE - FTSE opens on the up

The blue-chip index is up on the start of the day to 7,777.97.

As one of Carillion's lenders, tax-payers owned Royal Bank of Scotland is the biggest loser so far today, down 1.7 per cent.

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RBS are the biggest losers of the day

8.49am - UPDATE - Pound still up on Euro, down on Dollar

Sterling is up a thin 0.2 per cent against the Euro to 1.1267.

The Pound is down 0.08 per cent against the Dollar, albeit from relative nosebleed territory of 1.3783.

8.02am - UPDATE - Coughing colleagues costing UK economy £77.5 billion a year

New data from VitalityHealth’s latest Britain’s Healthiest Workplace study shows that employee ill-health is now costing British firms six working weeks a year in lost productivity, which equates to £77.5 billion a year for the UK economy.

Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey (BHW) claims to be the UK’s most comprehensive workplace wellbeing study of over 32,000 employees and more than 160 organisations.

The study shows employees lose an average of 30.4 working days each year due to sickness and underperformance in the office as a result of ill-health.

Shaun Subel, Director of Corporate Wellbeing Strategy at VitalityHealth, told Express.co.uk:

“For too long, the link between employee lifestyle choices, their physical and mental health, and their work performance has been ignored.

Our data demonstrates a clear relationship - employees who make healthier lifestyle choices benefit from an additional 25 days of productive time each year compared to the least healthy employees, and also exhibit higher levels of work engagement and lower levels of stress."

7.22am - UPDATE - Pound rises but Barnier talks tough

The Pound is up a thin 0.15 per cent against the Euro to 1.126, but down against the Dollar to 1.3783, a fall of 0.08 per cent on the day so far.

With the Pound expected to rise as the threat of a 'no deal' Brexit scenario becomes increasingly less likely, it is being reported that Michel Barnier has been given a number of rivised "directives" that could potentially complicate trade talks with the UK, according to the Financial Times.

Most controversial of these new "directives" is the extension of free movement rights and a special status to all EU citizens who arrive to live in the UK the day before the end of the transition deal.

At 9.30am this morning will hear from the Office of National Statistics over inflation figures for the UK.

This Bank of England's 2 per cent target but this was not met in November when inflation rose 3.1 per cent. Not great news with wages stagnant.

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