Jeremy Hunt readies placeholder budget that will let a lot of people down March 9, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is going to let a lot of people down at his budget next Wednesday. Businesses. Families. Even former Prime Ministers. The Chancellor is poised to resist calls to save a flatlining economy by staying the course set in his November autumn statement of balancing the books. Households want an extension of energy support [...]
Labour ‘set to rule out’ all further North Sea oil and gas projects May 28, 2023 New North Sea oil and gas developments will reportedly be blocked under a Labour government. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is on the verge of announcing the block when he sets out his net-zero energy policy in Scotland next month, The Sunday Times said. As part of the energy plans, the newspaper reported a Sir [...]
Explainer: What’s going on with Farage’s bank account July 20, 2023 Coutts, a prestigious private bank owned by Natwest, is under pressure after it emerged that Nigel Farage’s bank account had been closed, ostensibly for his political opinions alone. The story has caused a furore and, with politicians wading in, it could even spark a set of new rules which would prevent banks ‘debanking’ customers with [...]
Chancellor fails to respond to MPs’ claims NI hike will stoke inflation March 2, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has not responded to accusations from a group of MPs that scrutinises the government’s fiscal plans that the national insurance hike will stoke inflation. In a response to the Treasury Select Committee’s report on the October budget, Sunak recognised the UK’s public finances are “vulnerable to changes in macroeconomic conditions such as [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by banks and pound strengthens on Sunak’s second day in No 10 October 26, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged down today by investors ditching shares in the UK’s largest banks despite a strong set of results, but managed to squeeze gains thanks to a late rally. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.61 per cent to over the 7,000 mark points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is [...]
Centrica anticipates power boost as EDF extends lifespan of ageing nuclear fleet March 14, 2023 British Gas owner Centrica expects to boost its electricity generation following EDF's decision to expand lifespan of two nuclear plants.
MI6 chief calls for Russians to spy for UK July 19, 2023 The head of MI6 has urged Russians angry at Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine to spy for the UK. Sir Richard Moore told them “our door is always open” and “we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end”. He said that while artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to help target the Kremlin’s [...]
Some degrees are useless, but it’s the 2:1 obsession we really need to leave behind July 19, 2023 Creeping credentialism reinforces the narrative that a degree is the most reliable route into an ever-increasing number of jobs.
Tories prepare for annual party conference as polling results sink September 29, 2022 The Tories are preparing for the party’s annual conference next week under a cloud of turmoil and infighting as new polling puts them 33 points behind Labour. Liz Truss’ first party conference as Prime Minister comes at a time of crisis, with her own MPs in open revolt against her and financial markets reacting badly [...]
£134bn: Biggest rise in tax receipts since 2000 gives chancellor room to make cuts July 11, 2022 The new chancellor of the exchequer may have leeway for tax cuts, after a £134bn spike in so-called ‘stealth ‘ taxes. There was the biggest increase in receipts since the turn of the century over the last 12 months, up to £718bn, representing a 23 per cent increase on the previous year. The rise from [...]