Mr Farage reconfirmed that he was considering entering the race and that he believed he had support due to his staunchly pro-Brexit stance. Speaking on his LBC show last night, he said: “I’ve been bombarded all day by people. "Not just from this country, but from America, saying ‘what are you going to do?’ “The truth is, a group of people have approached me.

“They say ‘look there are more people in London that voted for Brexit than voted for Sadiq Khan when he became Mayor’. “And actually if you look at the numbers that is true.” “Quite frankly I’ve been so busy the last few weeks I’ve barely given it a moment's thought. "I will give it a moment's thought over the course of the next week.”

“I’m probably not going to do it, but I will certainly think about it.” Counting both first and valid second votes in the mayoral election, Sadiq Khan received 200,000 fewer votes in London than leaving the European Union did. Counting the number of first and second votes that Sadiq Khan got in total, not just those that contributed to his final win, Mr Khan received 20,000 more votes than votes for leaving the EU. Nigel Farage is currently a member of the European Parliament but will lose his seat when Britain leaves the EU next March. He has stood for election as an MP in Parliament seven times but has not been elected on any occasion.

He told the Financial Times earlier this week: "I have been encouraged to stand by a group of people, but that doesn't mean I'm going to. "I haven't said no to it, I'm thinking about it. "The Tory party are very actively aware that if I did stand, they would probably come third, and they are afraid of that." Around 1.3 million Londoners voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, while 2.3 million backed Remain. Next month the Conservatives will pick their candidate to stand against Mr Khan in the 2020 election. The Tory hopefuls are relative unknowns. They are London Assembly members Shaun Bailey and Andrew Boff, as well as Ealing councillor Joy Morrissey.</s>Mr Farage reconfirmed that he was considering entering the race and that he believed he had support due to his staunchly pro-Brexit stance. Speaking on his LBC show last night, he said: “I’ve been bombarded all day by people. "Not just from this country, but from America, saying ‘what are you going to do?’ “The truth is, a group of people have approached me.

“They say ‘look there are more people in London that voted for Brexit than voted for Sadiq Khan when he became Mayor’. “And actually if you look at the numbers that is true.” “Quite frankly I’ve been so busy the last few weeks I’ve barely given it a moment's thought. "I will give it a moment's thought over the course of the next week.”

“I’m probably not going to do it, but I will certainly think about it.” Counting both first and valid second votes in the mayoral election, Sadiq Khan received 200,000 fewer votes in London than leaving the European Union did. Counting the number of first and second votes that Sadiq Khan got in total, not just those that contributed to his final win, Mr Khan received 20,000 more votes than votes for leaving the EU. Nigel Farage is currently a member of the European Parliament but will lose his seat when Britain leaves the EU next March. He has stood for election as an MP in Parliament seven times but has not been elected on any occasion.

He told the Financial Times earlier this week: "I have been encouraged to stand by a group of people, but that doesn't mean I'm going to. "I haven't said no to it, I'm thinking about it. "The Tory party are very actively aware that if I did stand, they would probably come third, and they are afraid of that." Around 1.3 million Londoners voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, while 2.3 million backed Remain. Next month the Conservatives will pick their candidate to stand against Mr Khan in the 2020 election. The Tory hopefuls are relative unknowns. They are London Assembly members Shaun Bailey and Andrew Boff, as well as Ealing councillor Joy Morrissey.</s>Image copyright Getty Images

Panasonic will move its European headquarters from the UK to Amsterdam in October as Brexit approaches.

The aim is to avoid potential tax issues linked to the UK's decision to leave the EU, said Panasonic Europe's chief executive Laurent Abadie.

In the run-up to March 2019, a number of multinational firms have said they plan to move jobs out of the UK.

Several Japanese financial companies have said they intend to move their main EU bases away from London.

Panasonic's decision was driven by a fear that Japan could start considering the UK a tax haven if it cuts corporate tax rates to attract business, Mr Abadie told the Nikkei Asian Review newspaper.

If Panasonic ends up paying less tax in the UK, that could render it liable for a bigger tax bill in Japan.

Mr Abadie told the Nikkei Asian Review that Panasonic had been considering the move for 15 months, because of Brexit-related concerns such as access to free flow of goods and people.

Panasonic Europe later issued a statement confirming that it was transferring its regional headquarters from Bracknell in the UK to Amsterdam from 1 October.

It said it was doing so for several reasons, including "improved efficiency and cost competitiveness".

It said "fewer than approximately 10" people would be affected out of a staff of 30.

"No Panasonic UK business operations will be affected by the EU headquarters move," the statement added.

In 2016, the UK government pledged to cut corporation tax to encourage businesses to continue investing in the UK after the Brexit referendum.

Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016, but with less than a year to go, the UK and the EU are struggling to reach consensus on the terms of the exit.

Japan is a major investor in the UK, where more than 800 Japanese companies employ more than 100,000 people.

However, financial firms including Nomura, Sumitomo Mitsui and Daiwa have already said they will no longer maintain their EU headquarters in London.</s>Japanese giant Panasonic has announced it is moving its European HQ from London to Amsterdam because of Brexit .

It comes as experts reveal Brexit has already had an impact on British trade with exports down 15% since the referendum.

Panasonic Europe’s chief executive Laurent Abadie said the decision followed concerns about the access to goods and labour once the UK leaves the UK.

An analysis by the University of Warwick says exports from the UK were down 15% in 2017-18 on where they would be if we had not voted to leave.

It said the UK’s “export performance is very poor” and there is “clear evidence” of a deterioration in the UK’s terms of trade.

“Even before actual policy changes have been finalised, uncertainty and anticipation have sizeable and measurable effects upon trade.

“As regards Brexit: substantial parts of the British electorate may have chosen ‘the wide open sea’ , but there is little evidence of the world outside Europe switching towards British exports – in fact, rather the reverse,” the paper says.

Labour MP Chuka Ummuna said Panasonics’ move underlined the case for a People’s vote on the final Brexit deal.

“This is yet another example of valuable businesses leaving the UK over Brexit and yet still the Tory Brexiteers dismiss all business warnings,” he tweeted.

Quizzed on a visit to Kenya Theresa May refused to say if she believed Britain would be better off after Brexit.

The PM said: “We are pursuing, of course, a good deal for trade with the EU once we have left the EU, but we will be looking to enhance our trade relationships around the rest of the world as well.

“We believe in free trade. Trade is important. It is free trade that brings benefits that brings economic prosperity, that brings innovation, that brings development in economies.”

Speaking after talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi, the Prime Minister boasted of ongoing trade links with the country after Brexit.

“As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, we are committed to a smooth transition that ensures continuity in our trading relationship with Kenya - ensuring Kenya retains its duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market,” she said.

But the Kenyan President was more lukewarm on future links as the UK quits the EU.

“I don’t believe Brexit is going to dent our ability to further strengthen and deepen both trade and investment between our two countries,” he said.

“I don’t see Brexit meaning anything detrimental towards the strong trade ties that we already have and I have said that we are actually seeking to boost that going forward.”

Labour MP Stephen Doughty, a supporter of the People’s Vote campaign, said: “Once again Theresa May refused to say that Brexit would make Britain better off or increase our power and influence in the wider world.

“She deserves some credit for at least being honest. Because there is no reason to believe Brexit will benefit us and all the Government’s own studies show we’d be worse off, jobs would be at risk and public services threatened with a further round of cuts.”

Dr Carmen Stoian of the Kent Business School at the University of Kent said more companies could follow Panasonic..

“With the Brexit deadline approaching fast, more foreign investors are choosing to move their European headquarters away from the UK and into the continent.

“This trend now features investors such as Unilever, Ferrovial and today Panasonic. And this trend is very likely to continue, as other investors such as Vodafone are considering similar moves.

‘The paradox of this is that one of the triggers of Panasonic’s move is the UK government’s decision to lower corporation tax, one of the very measures meant to make the UK more appealing as an investment destination post-Brexit.

“Research shows, however, that low corporation tax only acts as an incentive for investors when the ‘fundamentals’ are right. For example, US and Japanese investors have traditionally set up their European headquarters in the UK as a stepping stone for investment into the Single Market.”</s>(Reuters) - Panasonic Corp is to move its European headquarters from London to Amsterdam in October to avoid potential tax issues linked to Brexit, the Nikkei Asian Review s.nikkei.com/2wt6kal said on Thursday.

Moving the regional headquarters to continental Europe will also help Panasonic avoid any barriers to the flow of people and goods, Laurent Abadie, chief executive officer of Panasonic Europe, told Nikkei.

Of the employees based out of London office, 10 to 20 engaged in auditing and financial operations will be moved to the Netherlands, with only investor relations staff staying, the Nikkei report said.

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019.</s>Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Panasonic will move its European headquarters out of Britain in October to avoid potential tax issues tied to Brexit, the country's planned departure from the European Union.

Panasonic Europe CEO Laurent Abadie announced Thursday the Japanese multinational electronics corporation would move its corporate base from Bracknell, in greater London area, to Amsterdam, in October.

Britain's scheduled exit from the European Union is seven months away.

"We have been studying this for almost one year, and evaluating everything, and then we decided a few months ago to move forward," Abadie told Quartz, adding the company examined potential tax issues, and its ability to move goods and capital, before deciding it should move.

Brexit is "a very difficult issue, and as a company we cannot wait," Abadie said. "We cannot wait until March and then if something really goes wrong, or bad, or good-I cannot judge-but if there's no agreement by March, then immediately on the first of April, there will be customs clearance, and duties, and fees, so we see a big risk."

For many Japanese companies, Britain has long served as an entry door to the European market, Abadie added, but "after Brexit," it "cannot be the entry door to Europe any more, that's a fact."

Abadie told Nikkei Asian Review that Japan could also treat the United Kingdom as a tax haven if it lowers its corporate rate after Brexit, resulting in Panasonic being asked to pay more taxes in Japan.

Some Japanese insurers have also relocated because of Brexit, Nikkei Asian Review reported, though such moves have been rare among manufacturers.</s>
• Japanese electronics giant Panasonic to move European headquarters out of the UK as a result of Brexit.
• New HQ will be based in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam.
• The move is being undertaken "to avoid potential tax issues" linked to Brexit, according to Japanese media organisation Nikkei.
• Panasonic's announcement follows a warning from the Japanese business lobby that companies are "seriously concerned" about continuing Brexit uncertainty.



Panasonic, the £55 billion ($71 billion) Japanese electronics giant, has announced plans to move its European headquarters out of the UK as Brexit uncertainty continues to weigh on the minds of major international corporations using Britain as a base.

The company, best known for its televisions, hi-fi systems, and cameras, said on Thursday that it plans to shift its main European office from near London to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam.

Japanese news agency Nikkei reported that the move is being undertaken "to avoid potential tax issues" linked to Brexit. Effectively, if the UK lowers corporate tax further after Brexit, as it has suggested could happen, it could be considered by the Japanese government to be a tax haven.

If that were the case, it could lead to Panasonic facing back taxes from central government, aimed at discouraging Japanese organisations from having offices in tax havens.

"We will move our European headquarters to the Netherlands," a spokesperson for Panasonic told AFP, confirming Nikkei's earlier report. The move will take place in October, and has been under consideration for more than a year, Laurent Abadie, Panasonic Europe's CEO told Nikkei.

In terms of staff numbers, Panasonic's UK office — which is based in Bracknell, about 30 miles from London — has around 30 staff, according to the Daily Telegraph. "Around 10 to 20 employees dealing with auditing and financial operations" will be moved, the newspaper said.

The announcement of Panasonic's headquarters move comes just days after the head of Japan's biggest business lobbyist said that Japanese businesses are "seriously concerned" about their future in the UK if Brexit uncertainty is not addressed imminently.

"We just can't do anything. Everyone is seriously concerned," Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of Keidanren, the Japanese business federation, said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday.

Nakanishi told the FT that Japanese businesses operating in the EU are frustrated — like many UK businesses — by the lack of any real clarity over what sort of Brexit the UK will actually achieve when the Article 50 period runs out in March next yar.



"Various scenarios get discussed, from no Brexit to plunging into Brexit without any kind of deal at all. We're now in a situation where we have to consider what to do in all of them," Nakanishi added.

Several major Japanese financial institutions, including Nomura, Sumitomo Mitsui and Daiwa Securities, have already made plans to move staff away from the UK, and more could follow.</s>Report: Panasonic to move European headquarters out of UK

LONDON (AP) — Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has become the latest company to announce plans to move its European headquarters out of Britain ahead of Brexit.

The Nikkei Asian Review newspaper reported Thursday that the company plans to relocate from the U.K. to Amsterdam in October to avoid potential corporation tax issues linked to Britain's exit from the European Union next year.

It quoted Panasonic Europe's CEO Laurent Abadie as saying that the move was also meant to help Panasonic avoid any barriers to the flow of people and goods after Brexit.

The report added that many of the company's 20 to 30 staff at the London office will be moved to the Netherlands.

Panasonic did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.</s>Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has become the latest firm to announce plans to shift its European headquarters out of the UK ahead of Brexit.

The group is moving its European head office to Amsterdam in October to avoid potential tax issues related to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU next March, according to the Nikkei Asian Review newspaper.

It is the latest multinational firm to pull jobs and operations out of the UK, amid growing concern over the Government’s protracted negotiations and possible no-deal scenario.

Planemaker Airbus warned in June it could quit the UK if Britain leaves without a trade deal, while Unilever announced in March it was moving its corporate HQ to Rotterdam, although it has claimed the decision is not Brexit-related.

It is understood that Panasonic’s decision is linked to concerns that Japan could see the UK as a tax haven if it cuts corporation tax to attract businesses post-Brexit.

If it that was the case, Panasonic could face higher taxes back in Japan.

A number of other Japanese firms have revealed plans to move their European bases out of the UK, including banking giants Nomura Holdings, Daiwa Securities, MUFG and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group.

Carmakers Honda and Nissan are also among a raft of Japanese firms that employ large workforces in the UK.

It is thought there are 879 Japanese companies employing 142,000 staff in Britain, including Honda and Nissan.

Panasonic would reportedly move staff dealing with auditing and financial operations out of the UK following the switch to Amsterdam, but keep those dealing with investor relations in Britain.

It is believed that up to 20 out of 30 employees could be affected.

Other major firms that have announced plans to pull staff out of the UK due to Brexit include banking group HSBC, which plans to move up to 1,000 jobs to France, while JP Morgan has said around 1,000 front and back-office roles are likely to be relocated from London. - Reuters</s>Panasonic to move European headquarters out of UK

LONDON (AP) — Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has become the latest company to announce plans to move its European headquarters out of Britain ahead of Brexit.

The company said in a statement Thursday that it plans to relocate from the U.K. to Amsterdam on Oct. 1 to "pursue improved efficiency and cost competitiveness while having easy access to the different markets within Europe."

The Nikkei Asian Review newspaper reported that the move aimed to avoid potential corporation tax issues linked to Britain's exit from the European Union next year. Quoting Panasonic Europe's CEO Laurent Abadie, the report said the move was also meant to help Panasonic avoid any barriers to the flow of people and goods after Brexit.

In its statement, Panasonic said the move can enable more cooperation with its holding company for subsidiaries outside Japan, as well as the group's financing arm, both already located in Amsterdam.

It said the move would affect fewer than 10 employees.

Other firms, including Airbus and Japanese banking giant Nomura Holdings, have revealed similar plans to move European bases out of Britain because of uncertainty over Brexit.
Panasonic announces their intent to move their European headquarters from London to Amsterdam, citing concern over Brexit.