David Cameron gives Vince Cable and Nick Clegg the hard shoulder to take credit for “roads revolution” December 1, 2014 Usually the most exciting thing you see on the side of Britain’s A roads is a trailer selling strawberries for 50p and the odd squashed badger. However, yesterday was a different story as our top politicians were loitering in roadside ditches – all taking credit for a £15bn road-building scheme. Who was part of this [...]
Stamp duty and mansion taxes: Which taxes apply to you? April 7, 2015 Money is tight in Whitehall. Both Labour and the Conservatives are promising to cut the deficit to varying degrees if they win the General Election. And Westminster is surrounded by some of the most valuable real estate in the world. House prices in London have boomed since 2013, so an obvious solution presents [...]
FTSE falls back but airlines soar after Osborne’s tax cut – London Report December 3, 2014 LONDON’S top share index edged down from a one-week high yesterday, with moves in stocks exposed to measures announced in the Autumn Statement dominating in an otherwise quiet session. The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed down 0.4 per cent at 6,716.63 points. Large-cap airlines easyJet, up 2.46 per cent at 1,668p, and British Airways [...]
Christmas shopping will help high street spending hit record highs December 24, 2014 Spending on the UK's high streets is expected to smash records this year as shoppers splurged over the Christmas period setting tills ringing. Retail sales are expected to reach an all-time high of £342bn this year, a rise of £48bn compared to 2010, government figures suggest. Spending is also expected to break records tomorrow as [...]
Big Budget’s little brother is here again… December 2, 2014 THIS YEAR he’s leaner, but will he be meaner? It’s time to find out as George Osborne delivers his Autumn Statement. But for those of you who enjoy the lighter side of the event, we’ve got the fun stuff here. How about a buzzword drinking game (tea or tequila, we don’t mind what you [...]
Chancellor urged not to promise spending spree November 26, 2014 THE CHANCELLOR has today been urged not to put the public finances at risk by promising big spending projects in next week’s Autumn Statement. TheCityUK – a trade body for the financial sector – says the risk to economic stability could be reduced by achieving stronger public finances. While welcoming spending on infrastructure, the body believes [...]
Serious Fraud Office must stay at arm’s length from government February 4, 2015 Other than their membership of the UK’s blue-chip share index, what unites Barclays, G4S, GlaxoSmithKline, Rolls Royce Holdings and Tesco? The answer is that they all feature prominently in the caseload of David Green, the director of the Serious Fraud Office. Britain’s principal white-collar crime-fighting agency has come a long way since Green inherited the [...]
Osborne’s previous budget highlights: November 30, 2014 2010: THE EMERGENCY BUDGET The chancellor announced a range of deep cuts and freezes, including a two-year public sector pay freeze, housing benefit cap and a VAT increase to 20 per cent. The bank levy was introduced and corporation tax cut from 28 per cent to 24 per cent. 2011: THINGS ARE LOOKING TRICKY In [...]
Oil groups taking action to help North Sea firms as prices continue to fall December 22, 2014 The leader of Aberdeen City Council has called on the Scottish and UK governments to attend a summit on the “emerging crisis” in the North Sea oil industry. Jenny Laing announced yesterday that the council was aiming to bring together governments, trade unions and industry bodies to develop a strategic plan to save jobs in [...]
UK innovation gets a boost as R&D spend hits pre-crisis levels November 20, 2014 Research and development spending is staging a recovery. Business expenditure in the UK grew by 5.7 per cent in 2013, according to data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics. “Business expenditure on R&D has now returned to pre-recession peaks, good news as innovation helps companies compete in fast-changing global markets. Manufacturers have continued [...]