We are stuck in a disastrous spiral of misplaced interventionism May 2, 2014 VICIOUS circles are the new normal in British politics. Bad, often economically illiterate, policies create poor outcomes; voters become angry; the opposition (and in some cases the government) responds with hopeless populist policies intended to alleviate the symptoms of the previous round of bad policies; the situation worsens; disenchantment with the establishment rises ever further. [...]
We are stuck in a disastrous spiral of misplaced interventionism May 1, 2014 VICIOUS circles are the new normal in British politics. Bad, often economically illiterate, policies create poor outcomes; voters become angry; the opposition (and in some cases the government) responds with hopeless populist policies intended to alleviate the symptoms of the previous round of bad policies; the situation worsens; disenchantment with the establishment rises ever further. [...]
100,000 new homes could be built on government-owned land in London November 19, 2014 Potential sites for new homes on government-owned land in London (Source: Savills) As many as 100,000 homes could be built on land in London owned by the government, according to research by property services firm Savills. The figures, which also found that across the whole of the UK, public land could provide enough space for [...]
Why the Lib Dems’ new mansion tax-lite is just as ugly April 14, 2014 SOME Liberal Democrats seem to have finally conceded that their “mansion tax” pet project is a bad idea. Chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has gone off the proposal to levy a 1 per cent charge on the value of properties above £2m, preferring higher council tax bands for expensive properties instead. But given [...]
London house prices make it the world’s most expensive city September 23, 2014 London is the world's most expensive city, according to a new report. High property costs (the average price just went over £500,000 according to the ONS), high transports costs and expensive drinks have long been the bane of Londoners, and now a new report from Savills, an estate agent, has calculated London to top its [...]
UK and London house prices mapped: An average wage in Blackpool will buy you less than two square metres in Chelsea December 2, 2014 Click on the buttons in the top right to reveal the layers The average wage in Blackpool will net you one and a half square metres of floor space in Chelsea, while a Westminster dweller could buy 42.6 metres of home in Blaenau Gwent, such is the disparity in the UK’s housing market. Westminster is [...]
Fourteen severe flood warnings in place as storm misery continues February 13, 2014 THE MET Office is warning of more bad weather today as a fresh barrage of high wind and heavy rain is expected to strike the UK. David Cameron yesterday called on local councils to act more quickly to get sandbags out to residents in need, as the Environment Agency warned that water levels in flooded [...]
Met HQ sold for £370m to Abu Dhabi investor December 9, 2014 New Scotland Yard, the home of the Metropolitan Police, has been sold to a group of Abu Dhabi investors for £370m, in a dramatic shake-up of the Met’s estate. The Abu Dhabi Financial Group paid £120m more than the asking price for the 1.7-acre site in Victoria, which it plans to turn into a luxury [...]
The 100 City people you need to follow on Twitter this year, day two: Analysts January 6, 2015 Yesterday, you were inspired by our 20 most important entrepreneurs. Today, we’re giving you some food for thought: our favourite City analysts. Whether it’s retail, property or they’re tasked with deciding on the future of the UK’s airports, this lot can move the market with no more than a swish of their pen. Think we’ve [...]
Sol Campbell may join Tories in battle against Labour’s mansion tax October 2, 2014 Sol Campbell may join the Tories to fight against Labour's mansion tax. The former England football player recently made his opposition to the tax known via Twitter but has gone into even further detail about the problems with the policy advocated by both the Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Speaking to the Telegraph, he slammed [...]