Autumn Statement 2014: The big stamp duty shake-up December 3, 2014 Stamp duty will be cut for millions of house buyers but hiked on the most expensive properties as part of a radical shake-up of the system announced by George Osborne. The chancellor claimed some 98 per cent of buyers will see a cut in their stamp duty bill as a result of the move, seen [...]
David Cameron plans Islamic State fightback and Syria airstrikes “within weeks” November 22, 2015 David Cameron is formulating plans for Britain's fight against Islamic State (IS), including military action, and will announce them "within days", media reports suggest. That could include airstrikes against IS in Syria for the first time, action which was previously voted against by MPs. The PM will need to corral support from across the political spectrum for a [...]
Pork barrel spending and political gimmicks: Autumn Statement 2014 December 1, 2014 ONE HUNDRED and fifty five. That’s the really significant number for those following tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. It’s nothing to do with how much the UK government is borrowing. In fact, it’s the number of days until the general election. If early indications are anything to go by, the Statement will be packed full of small [...]
HS2 route from Birmingham to Crewe to open six years early November 30, 2015 The high speed rail link connecting Crewe to Birmingham will open six years ahead of schedule in 2027. It follows the cost of High Speed 2 rising to more than £55bn, announced in the Autumn Statement last week. Two years ago the project was costed at £50.1bn. Meanwhile, the former director general of the Confederation of [...]
Business received more than it hoped for in this year’s Autumn Statement December 7, 2014 It may not be as exciting as an iPad or as romantic as jewellery, but George Osborne’s Autumn Statement last week was in many ways business’s equivalent of Christmas, with rewards for some – and coal for others. On the whole, however, the picture for the City was positive, with action proposed for some of [...]
Budget blunders come back to haunt chancellor George Osborne October 22, 2015 On 25 November, chancellor George Osborne will stand up in the Commons and deliver what is, in effect, his fourth budget of the past 12 months. In under a year, the Treasury will have published an Autumn Statement (December 2014), a Budget (March 2015), another Budget (July 2015), and now a bumper combination of a [...]
Prime Minister Theresa May set to power up Hinkley Point September 14, 2016 The government is expected to press the button on two new nuclear reactors in Somerset as early as this week. Yesterday, reports suggested that the government has told France it has approved an £18bn plan by French company EDF to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The likely green light for the reactors is [...]
Treasury Select Committee tells fiscal watchdog to start working on improvements after £11.5bn VAT forecast blunder. December 8, 2015 A group of influential MPs has today told the government’s fiscal watchdog to come up with ways to improve its models after some tweaks in its latest forecast granted Chancellor George Osborne and extra £11.5bn to spend over the next five years. Nearly every economist expected the Office for Budget Responsibilty (OBR) to reduce the amount [...]
UK private equity firm’s shares leap after £1bn US takeover offer September 12, 2016 UK private equity company SVG Capital’s share price jumped 15 per cent today after US rival HarbourVest made a more than £1bn takeover offer. The all-cash offer of 650p per share values existing issued share capital at around £1.015bn. The company said the offer is “highly attractive”, saying it represents a 14.7 per cent premium on SVG’s [...]
Ski holidays 2015/16: With the pound getting stronger, Bulgaria is a better bet than the Alps for a cheap skiing break November 23, 2015 There is one thing to look forward to in winter. It’s not Christmas dinner, spending time with loved ones or going on chilly wintry walks; it’s ski season. According to London’s go-to luxury travel experts, more City slickers than ever will head to colder climes after a winning cocktail of a stronger pound and early [...]