Recession dials flash red on UK economic dashboard May 11, 2022 The dials are flashing red on the dashboard of the health of the British economy. Just a few months ago, UK growth prospects were reasonably good. The Covid-19 bounce back was set to continue this year, building on the country notching the biggest expansion in the G7 in 2021 (albeit due to the UK suffering [...]
Interview: IoD’s new chief economist delivers damning verdict on Tory tax hikes October 4, 2021 After just a month or so into the job, the freshly appointed chief economist of the organisation that represents British business leaders is wasting no time in weighing in on the ails of the UK economy, shooting down one area in particular – tax. Kitty Ussher of the Institute of Directors (IoD) has slammed the [...]
The Tory knives are out as Jacob Rees-Mogg calls Hunt’s Budget cuts ‘undeliverable’ November 18, 2022 The Chancellor’s spending cuts may prove “undeliverable” as Jeremy Hunt faces criticism from a range of senior Tories for raising taxes as he seeks to rebuild the UK’s battered public finances. Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg accused the Chancellor of taking the “easy option” in Thursday’s autumn statement rather than bearing down harder on public [...]
Cocktail of headwinds freeze business confidence November 30, 2021 A cocktail of soaring inflation, ongoing staff shortages and looming tax hikes is leaving optimism about the UK economy among business leaders unstuck, according to new research published today. The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) economic confidence index, a closely watched survey taking the pulse of optimism among business leaders, remained unchanged at minus six in [...]
Budget: Brits face flat recovery for household living standards, Sunak warned October 28, 2021 The average household could see their tax rise by thousands of pounds during Boris Johnson’s premiership, a think tank has warned, as Rishi Sunak’s Budget has the country set for a flat recovery for living standards. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the Budget would leave the overall tax burden at its highest since [...]
McDonald’s to offer childcare and tuition amid hiring push July 14, 2021 McDonald’s will be offering tuition payments and higher hourly wages as well as childcare support in an attempt to attract workers due to many of its restaurants struggling to employ staff in the US. Since the pandemic, the fast food giant has let staff members go in order to save running costs, but is now [...]
The Notebook: Andy Silvester on the City’s ecosystem, a cricket charity and ‘no bullsh*t’ books February 28, 2023 As a child, I was fascinated by trains – not necessarily how diesel engines worked, but how the various moving parts of a train system worked together. Alas, the space limits of a terraced house in south London meant that my dream to build an entire train set across the top floor were thwarted. The [...]
Britons, your country needs you. It’s time to take out your wallet and spend January 20, 2022 What stupid purchases have you made since Covid-19 arrived on these shores? Perhaps you bought a hot tub, some garden furniture or even a new shed. Perhaps you are more frugal minded, opting instead to squirrel away cash that would have otherwise been spent in the pub into your savings account. If you are the [...]
Brits told they should brace themselves for even higher food and drink prices November 9, 2022 Food and drink prices are expected to climb even higher than previously expected – with meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy and bread seeing the biggest increases, a new forecast has suggested. The rate of food price inflation will reach a peak year-on-year of between 17 per cent and 19 per cent in early 2023, the Institute [...]
Card Factory scraps dividend as higher costs hit profit June 2, 2020 Card Factory today scrapped its full-year dividend as higher costs and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 weighed on profit. The figures Card Factory reported revenue of £451.5m for the year to the end of January, up 3.6 per cent year on year. Like-for-like sale dipped 0.5 per cent over the year. Underlying profit before tax [...]