Budget 2016: Labour’s London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan urges chancellor George Osborne to take “emergency action” on housing March 14, 2016 Ahead of George Osborne's Budget this week Labour's London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has called on the chancellor to take "emergency action" to help fix London's housing crisis. Khan is pushing Osborne to help double the number of homes built in the capital fo more than 50,000 a year. He warned that the capital's housing [...]
EU referendum: Fitch warns that protracted post-Brexit negotiations could trigger recession May 16, 2016 The stakes of any post-Brexit negotiations were laid bare today in a new report from ratings agency Fitch, which assesses how the UK economy will perform if it were to secure different terms of exit after voting to leave the EU. In its worst scenario – in which Fitch predicts at least two years of political wrangling along with [...]
EU referendum: Former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont backs Brexit arguing EU needs an agreement as much as UK does March 2, 2016 Former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont has put his two cents into the EU referendum debate, backing Brexit and labelling the impending EU referendum a "once-in-a-generation opportunity". The Conservative peer – coincidentally Prime Minister David Cameron's old boss – said Britain must take control of immigration and that Downing Street's warnings about the alternatives to membership [...]
PPI claims: Ministry of Justice clamps down on claims management companies responsible for pesky PPI calls February 14, 2016 Ministers are cracking down on companies handling claims for payment protection insurance (PPI) refunds by capping their charges. The Ministry of Justice announced today that it would be limiting the fees charged by claims management companies (CMCs), many of which are claiming more than one-third of consumers' financial claims for themselves. "We want to do all we can [...]
EU referendum: Brexit battle is brewing within City of London Corporation as members call for neutrality in run-up to EU referendum February 25, 2016 The referendum on Britain’s European Union membership is threatening to tear apart an historic City institution, as members of the City of London Corporation dispute whether the Corporation should back the remain or leave campaigns. In an open letter published on Monday in City A.M., more than a dozen City grandees urged the Corporation to [...]
Ken Clarke: The House of Lords needs to be reined in November 1, 2015 After the House of Lords twice voted to delay the implementation of the government's controversial tax credit cuts, former chancellor Ken Clarke has said the upper house needs to be reined in with new laws. Last week the Lords backed amendments from both Labour peer Baroness Hollis and crossbench peer Baroness Meacher, which frustrated the government's plans. [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says the Trade Union Bill shows the Conservative party is trying to tighten their grip on power February 19, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has branded the government's Trade Union Bill as an attempt by the Conservative government to "tighten their grip on power". Writing in the Mirror, Corbyn said that the bill will come before the House of Lords next week, most of whom see it as "a spiteful, needless act that will only undermine long-standing [...]
Humiliation: Former energy secretary slams government over risk of lights going out March 14, 2016 Former energy secretary Lord David Howell has ripped into the government’s energy policy, saying that Britain has fallen into a “humiliating” position. Howell, who is also the father-in-law of chancellor George Osborne, told City A.M.: “We’re a great industrial country, we are the pioneers of coal and steam, and the leaders of the world and [...]
Peer-to-peer lenders hit back after City grandee Lord Adair Turner says they could lead to “big losses” February 10, 2016 Peer-to-peer lenders have rejected criticisms from former City regulator Lord Adair Turner, who warned earlier today that the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry could be a source of "big losses" in the years ahead. "The losses which will emerge from peer-to-peer lending over the next five to 10 years will make the bankers look like lending geniuses," Turner told BBC [...]
London house prices: As with Crossrail, all major transport projects must now define themselves within the property debate February 18, 2016 Last week at the London Assembly’s Transport Committee hearing, Lord Adonis provided evidence on how he will assess the case for Crossrail 2. As chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, his views will be pivotal in deciding the fate of the embryonic scheme. Of particular interest was what Adonis said about the difference between Crossrail 1 [...]