Alcohol warning labels and minimum pricing gets backing from MPs August 11, 2014 The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse has called for mandatory labelling of alcoholic drinks to warn users of the harmful effects of their abuse. The group is seeking support from all parties for a host of restrictions and regulations contained in the document. "Health warnings are a familiar and prominent feature on all tobacco [...]
EU budget 2014: David Cameron’s new Euro nightmare as €2bn bill adds fuel to Ukip fire October 23, 2014 David Cameron was dealt a crushing blow in his battle to win reform in Europe last night, after the UK was told to stump up an extra €2bn (£1.57bn) by 1 December to shore up the EU budget. The Prime Minister will be forced to pay the hefty sum because of the relative prosperity of [...]
Rail commuters get boost as Osborne caps fare rises September 7, 2014 Rail fare increases will be capped at 2.5 per cent for 2015 in a bid to help hard-pressed commuters, the government has announced. Chancellor George Osborne said the move, which limits price hikes of regulated rail fares to the rate of inflation, was a bid to help taxpayers, and was only possible because of other [...]
How the government is helping SMEs access the finance they need August 12, 2014 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of our economy. They employ close to 14.4m people (almost 60 per cent of total UK private sector employment), with almost 4.6m people now self-employed. But many SMEs suffered after the financial crisis, due in part to the lack of availability and flexibility of bank lending. This [...]
EU hits Russia with fresh sanctions as tensions escalate July 29, 2014 EU governments have agreed to impose a host of economic sanctions against Russia, taking aim at bank financing, technology, defence equipment and the oil industry, according to EU sources. At meetings held today in Brussels, it was also agreed that Russian state-owned banks would be barred from selling shares or bonds in Europe. Today's developments [...]
America and Europe unite with plan to punish Russia July 29, 2014 GOVERNMENTS across Europe have joined forces with America in a bid to bring Russia’s President Putin to his knees in the wake of continued anger over the downing of flight MH17 in Ukraine. Yesterday, the EU announced tough new sanctions designed to cripple Russia’s already struggling economy by putting the squeeze on financial operations and [...]
Are tougher sanctions the best way to tackle Putin’s Russia? July 21, 2014 Timothy Ash, head of emerging market research (ex Africa) at Standard Bank, says Yes. Sanctions have already had an effect, by preventing a broader Russian incursion into Ukraine. Russia did not expect them, and the measures made it bide time to assess their impact. Crucially, this gave the new Ukrainian government time to regroup, and [...]
Conservative Party Conference 2014: George Osborne outlines plans to freeze working-age benefits, abolish pension death tax and cut benefit cap September 29, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne has delivered a host of policy pledges to the Tory faithful at the party's conference in Birmingham today. The chancellor began his speech highlighting the UK's success in reducing unemployment and the deficit. However, Osborne told the conference hall that there was still much to be done, and the recovery faced [...]
Minimum alcohol pricing receives fresh backing from government panel July 25, 2014 The Welsh government's Advisory Panel on Substance Misuse (APoSM) has voiced its support for plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol to clamp down on substance misuse. "Alcohol health and social harm problems are preventable," said the APoSM's chair Kyrie LL James. The body claims the measure will reduce alcohol-related harm amongst the heaviest [...]
Could Labour be set to make a big announcement on low pay at its party conference? September 18, 2014 Tackling low pay has been a central policy theme for Labour while in opposition, and it’s not hard to see why. While the economy is growing, wages aren’t rising in real-terms and people don’t feel better off. Ed Miliband knows this and has sought to focus his party’s strategy on the cost of living crisis [...]