General Election jitters for finance chiefs as sterling weakens against the dollar April 13, 2015 The extent of business nervousness surrounding the General Election was laid bare today by a survey of finance chiefs of some of the UK’s largest companies after sterling yesterday stooped to a five-year low against the dollar. Chief financial officers are much less inclined to take risks – 51 per cent said now was a [...]
General Election 2015: Virgin Money CEO Jayne-Anne Gahia wants a strong leader who will back business April 13, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN 23 DAYS Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. JAYNE-ANNE GADHIA: CEO VIRGIN MONEY I will vote for the party who has the strongest leader. Leadership is essential for success [...]
Labour deal with Nicola Sturgeon will result in higher taxes and risks interest rate rise, warns Deutsche Bank April 13, 2015 A Labour-SNP deal after the General Election risks moving Labour even further to left with heavy tax increases, less austerity and could result in rising interest, according to Deutsche Bank. The top investment bank made the warning in an updated briefing note on the possible outcomes following the General Election. Deutsche Bank adds that no [...]
General Election 2015 polls: ICM gives Tories six point lead but Ashcroft has parties level pegging April 13, 2015 Today's opinion polls will be leaving those who declared last week there was a significant shift in public opinion towards Labour with egg on their face. Last week, Labour was leading in most of the polls with one putting them six points ahead of the Tories. Ed Miliband also enjoyed a bump in his personal [...]
Russia has started sending S-300 missiles to Iran again April 13, 2015 Iran is already seeing the benefits of coming to a tentative agreement with world powers over its nuclear programme – the Kremlin has just lifted a ban on providing it with S-300 missiles. Russia originally signed a multi-million dollar contract with Tehran to deliver the weapons in 2007, but the US and Israel voiced concerned [...]
Labour party confused over austerity: Chuka Umunna clashes with Jim Murphy as Nicola Sturgeon soars in the polls April 13, 2015 As Labour attempts to claw back its credibility on the economy, two senior figures appear to be at odds with the party's approach to austerity. Ed Miliband presented Labour's manifesto in Manchester today with an eye-catching budget responsibility lock. Labour claimed their manifesto was fully costed and required no extra borrowing with the current deficit [...]
General Election 2015: This one chart shows how you should vote based on your investments April 13, 2015 This might be one of the most nail-biting elections in living memory, but that makes things even more difficult for undecided voters. Now the nice people at Investec have made it easier, with a chart showing exactly how you should vote, depending on which sector you invest in. The research shows that while banks, utilities [...]
Labour manifesto: Ed Miliband offers no more clarity and electorate won’t know what they’re voting for, says IFS April 13, 2015 Ed Miliband's claim to economic credibility has suffered a setback after the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Labour's manifesto launch left the public none the wiser about how they will balance the current budget. At a speech in Manchester, Miliband set out Labour's offer to the electorate ahead of the General Election and attempted [...]
Nigel’s voting for Ukip but Samantha is not backing the Tories: How your name could determine which party you vote for in General Election 2015 April 13, 2015 He might not want it made public, but your friend Tim is probably going to vote for the Lib Dems. Charlotte has plumped for the Tories, but Samantha is distinctly lukewarm on Cameron. Jill is almost certainly going to vote Ukip (as is Nigel, naturally) while Michelle is leaving her mark in Labour's box. [...]
General Election 2015: The 10 key points of Labour’s “pro-business” manifesto April 13, 2015 Labour has launched its manifesto ahead of the General Election on May 7 – and the party has chosen to go toe-to-toe with the Conservatives on the economy. Ed Miliband promised Labour was "pro-business, not pro-business as usual". Some of the policies have been formulated to directly appeal to the business community – but others [...]