Beware the headline costs of Brexit: We’ll thrive if we’re open to the world March 23, 2015 You have to be careful with headlines. They are so often highly selective about the message they want to convey. Take an example from yesterday: The Guardian’s story on a report analysing the costs or benefits to the economy of the UK leaving the EU was headlined “Thinktank tells Ukip departing from EU would cost [...]
Former Liberal Democrat media boss Mark Littlewood slams Nick Clegg’s plan for higher taxes February 5, 2015 The former chief spin doctor for the Lib Dems has condemned the party's plans for massive tax hikes after the General Election. The Lib Dems set out their fiscal offer to the nation today pledging an additional £8bn of tax rises to help balance the books by 2017-18. Party leader Nick Clegg added they would [...]
Commodities and banks drag FTSE 100 lower – London Report February 10, 2015 BRITAIN’S top equity index drifted lower yesterday, hit by a drop in banks and commodity stocks, although improved sales for battered supermarkets lent support to the market. Fresh signs of economic weakness in China, the world’s biggest consumer of metals, hit mining companies, with the FTSE 350 Mining Index down 2.8 per cent. It closed [...]
City Moves for 02 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 1, 2015 EY Kate Richardson-Walsh has been appointed to EY’s business development team in London. She is a triple Olympian, and has been the captain of England and Great Britain hockey for the past 11 years. She will take up the role while training for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Investec Specialist Bank The bank has announced [...]
Oil prices have hit a four-year low October 15, 2014 Brent crude was continuing its long march down today. Already below $90 a barrel, the benchmark price has now gone south of $82. This cost represents the lowest price in four years, dragged down by a deluge of supply and dwindling demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reduced its 2014 forecast for global oil [...]
Forget cutting tuition fees – student finance needs a complete overhaul February 23, 2015 In an age of big challenges, the general election campaign seems to be throwing up a host of small ideas. The Labour Party is currently quibbling internally over how to finance a policy of cutting the cap on regulated tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000, for example. It’s unclear what problem this purports to solve. [...]
Tax cuts and deregulation: How free markets can slash the cost of living September 25, 2014 Rolling back state intervention across the economy and cutting taxes could save some families up to £7,800 a year, according to a new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The free market think tank has produced the report as part of it's 2020 Vision initiative, which provides a host of publications and films [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: What free marketeers want from George Osborne and what they’re likely to get November 24, 2014 With the Autumn Statement just a week away, George Osborne is already being inundated with suggestions on how to boost growth and cut the deficit. The CBI has already weighed in with its suggestions, including raising the threshold for employee National Insurance Contributions and cutting business rates. Britain's unemployment rate may have dropped like a [...]
Here’s why some economists are slamming Danny Alexander’s plan to build new homes on public sector land December 2, 2014 We may be in the midst of strong growth and plummeting unemployment, but when it comes to the economy, most people tend to fixate on one thing: housing. While house prices in London and the South East are not rising at the eye-watering levels they were 10 months ago, the cost of housing is driving [...]
Build on the green belt to ease home price crisis, say economists September 21, 2014 ROLLING back the green belt and easing planning laws are needed to address the cost of living crisis, analysts at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) argued today, hitting out at Labour’s plans to cap rents and set conditions on the type of homes built. The think tank argues that house prices have shot up [...]