Osborne told to take on zombies March 17, 2013 EXCLUSIVE ENDING the zombie business crisis plaguing the economy would be a cheap and easy way to boost growth, the UK’s top turnaround group argued last night, urging George Osborne to push banks to take the plunge on bad debts and write off the thousands of firms that have no hope of recovery. Around 50,000 [...]
End universal benefits and cut tax to rebuild UK future March 15, 2013 THE pre-Budget period is often typified by a cacophony of measures, ranging from the incisive to the interesting to the idiotic. But a focus on individual measures can cause us to lose sight of more fundamental themes. As such, I want to talk about the “why” in the economic debate, not only the “how”. Our [...]
Why I’m the first leader to support a looser Bank of England mandate March 15, 2013 WHEN Mark Carney takes over as our new governor of the Bank of England, at this time of “exceptional” economic crisis – his words not mine – he must be fully armed and working to a clear political direction from the start. Carney’s first day on the job should be an economic D-Day for the [...]
London is most expensive place for finance firms March 13, 2013 TAXES and fees are making London by far the most expensive location in the world to set up a financial firm, according to figures released this morning. Looking at rents alone, Hong Kong tops the table of world cities for locating a company in the financial sector, Savills said, but including the impact of fees [...]
New Quarto boss aiming to put boardroom coup behind firm March 13, 2013 THE new chief executive of publishing company Quarto will outline his plans for a revamped, leaner company this week as he faces the City after a shareholder coup defenestrated his predecessor. Laurence Orbach, who founded the company in 1976 and remains a large shareholder, was dramatically ousted in November at a special meeting forced by [...]
The NHS is losing global arms race to offer better healthcare for less March 9, 2013 THE Francis Inquiry into failings at Stafford Hospital has put the NHS under the spotlight once again. Just yesterday, NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson was grilled by MPs over his role in the scandal. All too often the service fails to deliver the quality, compassionate and patient-centred care the public expects. International comparisons are [...]
London less reliant on state jobs than the rest of the UK March 9, 2013 LONDON and its commuter belt rely far less on the public sector for jobs than the rest of the UK, official statistics revealed yesterday. In the third quarter of last year, public sector employees made up 19.4 per cent of the total across the UK, data from the Office for National Statistics showed, with just [...]
We’re more radical than Thatcher with business tax reform March 9, 2013 WITH many economies – including the UK – struggling to achieve strong growth, there is naturally a focus on what governments can do to assist. The Prime Minister is making a major speech today about the key elements of the coalition’s plan, but I want to focus on one part: how a competitive tax system [...]
Ecclestone wants three extra Formula One races to create a bigger season from 2014 March 8, 2013 EXCLUSIVE FORMULA One chief Bernie Ecclestone wants to push the sport’s season beyond its current 20-race limit, by adding three new events that could include an eye-catching street race through New Jersey. The new F1 season, starting next week, only has 19 races confirmed, with Ecclestone admitting that a 20th race has not been found. [...]
HSBC meets Basel capital target early March 7, 2013 BRITISH bank HSBC has hit tough new capital targets years before the official deadline, removing the drag on the lender’s growth and allowing it to supply more credit in the coming years, the firm’s full year results showed yesterday. HSBC is the first major institution to reach the Basel III requirements, clearing a huge obstacle [...]