Prime Minister’s Questions: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hammers David Cameron on tax credits again November 4, 2015 In this week's episode of Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn grilled Prime Minister David Cameron on tax credit changes again. Read more: David Cameron's first PMQs in full Tory goverment: The bunfight returns Corbyn said he had asked Cameron the same question six times last week and the Prime Minister failed to give him [...]
Cordant Group’s Phillip Ullmann talks to Harriet Green about looking after 52,000 workers and turning teal February 1, 2016 When I met Phillip Ullmann, head of Cordant Group and employer of over 52,000 people, he had just lost his job title. It wasn’t that someone had taken it from him – rather that he’s shed it. “Job titles are nonsense. What does it mean to be an executive chair, chief executive, managing director? Titles [...]
Restaurants and bars get their appetite back following Rugby World Cup 2015 boost October 26, 2015 The Rugby World Cup and greater consumer spending power thanks to falling food and petrol prices provided a much needed boost to UK bars and restaurants during the third quarter of the year. According to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag update, which monitors the health of UK companies, the number of restaurants and bars experiencing “significant” [...]
Employer confidence falls to lowest level since 2012 as the introduction of living wage looms September 8, 2015 Employer confidence is at a three-year low, a new survey of 2,000 companies shows. Data from recruiters Manpower show that the UK has a net employment outlook of four per cent, when you subtract the number of companies who intend to reduce staffing levels from those intending to hire. Manpower attributes this to employers worried [...]
As George Osborne poaches policy from the opposition, have the Tories now won the centre ground? October 5, 2015 Laura Swire, director at Hanover Communications, says Yes George Osborne not only parked his tank on Labour’s lawn; he disembarked, helped himself to their porridge and then settled himself into bed. Labour has spent months telling the nation (the parts of it on Twitter anyway) that anybody who believes in prudent financial management or a [...]
“Project Fear” blamed for adspend slowdown in run-up to referendum June 21, 2016 Politicians and "Project Fear" have been blamed for reduced spending in the UK’s advertising market. GroupM, part of Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP, has reduced its forecast for adspending growth in 2016 from 7.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent. The TV industry and national newspapers have been worst hit in the forecasts. The former is expected [...]
We need a campaign for Living Costs – not for a Living Wage – to really help the poorest November 2, 2015 It's “Living Wage Week”. For seven days, the Living Wage Foundation’s campaign for employers to pay workers at least £8.25 per hour (or £9.40 in London) receives almost wall-to-wall coverage. Campaigners line up to tell us raising pay to this level is good for business as well as employees. Many large firms, most of [...]
Pay hike on the cards as Oliver Bonas becomes first UK high street chain to pay living wage August 31, 2015 Gifts and homeware retailer Oliver Bonas has provided a major boost to the high street after committing to paying its staff the living wage. The chain, which has 43 UK stores as well as a warehouse and head office in Chessington, announced it will start paying all directly-employed staff and third party contractors at [...]
May under pressure to ditch target as net migration still above 300,000 August 25, 2016 Theresa May has come under fresh pressure to scrap her target to cut migration as the latest figures showed net migration is still running at more than three times the government's official "tens of thousands" target In the year to March 2016, net migration – the difference between the number of arrivals and departures – came in at 327,000 [...]
Near record net migration isn’t an argument for leaving the EU – it’s something to celebrate May 27, 2016 Freedom is usually a positive concept. Freedoms are celebrated and defended. Through history, people have fought and died for their freedoms, be it freedom of speech, of association, of assembly, of thought. How to explain, then, the noxious negativity that is permeating debate on freedom of movement in the context of the EU referendum? The [...]