New CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn takes the reins at Britain’s biggest business group November 23, 2015 Speaking to City A.M. at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) headquarters on Cannon Street last week, Carolyn Fairbairn said that she is “proud” to be the first female director general in the 50-year history of Britain’s biggest business group. “I think business is a great career for women,” she said. “If my being here [...]
Top tips for first-time buyers in London November 30, 2015 Getting on the property ladder is hard work, especially if you’re looking to buy your first home in London. According to Savills, the average deposit for a first time buyer is currently 68 per cent of their household income, but that rises to 177 per cent in London. But with a couple of helpful announcements [...]
Date for the diary: George Osborne reveals when he will make his Autumn Statement September 2, 2014 George Osborne today announced he will deliver his Autumn Statement on December 3. Since Osborne took the helm at the Treasury, the Autumn Statment has slowly crept later in the year. While Gordon Brown, who delivered the first Autumn Statement in 1997, preferred to use his as a sort of summary of the state of [...]
July Budget 2015: Odds on George Osborne to talk Greece, BBC, Long Term Economic Plan… and maybe some Balls July 8, 2015 Will George Osborne be talking Balls in the Budget? Ed Balls that it is. The chancellor name-checking the ousted MP and former shadow chancellor in his Budget address is a 10/1 bet. It's more likely Osborne will give a mention to #MinisterOfAwesome Yanis Varoufakis at 5/1, while Greece is the word topping the Budget buzzword [...]
Countdown to Christmas: From Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and Ed Ball’s surprise defeat at the General Election to the Paris terror attacks, these are the most surprising news stories of 2015 December 20, 2015 Some news you register with perhaps a shrug of the shoulder, while other stories might prompt an arched eyebrow. There are some events, however, that make you sit up and pay attention. This year was not without a few of those key moments – good and bad – that gripped us. Here are the most [...]
Osborne’s pensions tax relief shake-up explained: What could happen and what should you do about it? February 18, 2016 Former pensions minister Steve Webb made headlines earlier in the month by claiming that abolishing Britain’s current system of pension tax relief could be George Osborne’s “’Gordon Brown’ moment” (referring to the latter’s notorious tax raid on occupational pensions in 1997). Now a director at Royal London, Webb pulled few punches in outlining what he [...]
Amazon to create 500 new UK jobs as it opens giant distribution depot in Coalville, Leicestershire – right in the middle of the UK February 19, 2016 When the Forth bridge was closed just before Christmas because of high winds, Scots joked that one of Amazon's UK distributions centre was north of it. But Santa's elves need worry no more, after Amazon announced the impending opening of a giant, 1m sq ft, distribution warehouse in Coalville, Leicestershire, this autumn. Coalville, just FYI, is smack-bang in the centre of [...]
Challenger Shawbrook poaches Evelyn Hamilton from Lloyds Banking Group January 21, 2016 Shawbrook has hired a new managing director of consumer finance, announcing in a statement this morning that Evelyn Hamilton has joined the challenger from Lloyds Banking Group. Hamilton becomes just the latest high-profile hire for the challenger, which floated on the London Stock Exchange last April. The bank announced last autumn that it had poached Santander's then-head [...]
The first ever right-hand drive Mustang hits British shores – but has the trip been worth it? April 25, 2016 It’s a damp, autumnal morning at the Pebble Beach golf resort on the coast of California, a couple of hours north of San Francisco. During the summer, it’d be nudging 30 degrees, and keen golfers would pay $495 a game while their partners enjoyed the luxury spa. This morning, though, it’s just me and a [...]
Chancellor to reveal emergency second budget later this summer May 17, 2015 IN A surprise announcement over the weekend, chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne said he will deliver a second budget later this summer. The chancellor said the emergency budget would implement some of the promises made by the Tories on the campaign trail. “On 8 July I am going to take the unusual step of [...]