General Election 2015: Here are the Labour party’s five pledges March 14, 2015 Ed Miliband has revealed five electoral pledges with which the Labour party will fight the general election in May. The party will be focusing on cementing the economy recovery, ensuring that everyone can benefit from it, improving NHS and immigration policy, as well as improving the prospects of young people. At a Birmingham rally he [...]
Why Brits shouldn’t brag about beating the French March 9, 2015 Brits seem on track to notch up two victories against historic rival France in 2015. Bookmakers have the English team finishing higher in the Six Nations rugby championship than France. The UK is also set to leapfrog France as the world’s fifth largest economy – the consequence of stronger growth and a rising pound. The [...]
London mayor Boris Johnson backs paid internships in London at national minimum wage, “if not the London Living Wage” March 5, 2015 London mayor Boris Johnson has backed calls to take action on the scourge of unpaid internships blighting the prospects of young people in the capital. It's understood to be the first time the mayor has outlined his position on the issue, saying he supported paid internships and encouraged businesses employing interns to pay at least [...]
Here’s where the UK ranks among the world’s happiest economies March 3, 2015 While many in the UK are still waiting to see a real increase in their living standards after years of stagnating wages, mediocre growth and high taxes things may not be as dreary as they seem. According to Bloomberg's misery index the UK is one of best economies in the world. With plummeting unemployment and [...]
Businesses including PwC, KPMG and Axa back four-week limit on unpaid internships proposed by campaign group Intern Aware February 26, 2015 Some of the UK’s biggest businesses are backing a ban on internships which force young people to work for long periods of time without pay. Accountancy giants KPMG and PwC along with insurance firm Axa are putting their weight behind campaigner’s calls to place a four-week limit on internships which do not offer pay. Campaign [...]
UK inflation falls to 0.3 per cent in January, its lowest since records began in 1989 February 17, 2015 UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level since equivalent records began in 1989, as plunging oil prices and a bitter supermarket price war push down the cost of living. The consumer price index (CPI) – which measures the cost of items in a typical family's shopping basket – rose just 0.3 per cent in January [...]
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon calls for boost to UK state spending February 11, 2015 As the Scottish First Minister sets out her election agenda, Chris Papadopoullos reports from University College London Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon ventured to University College London (UCL) yesterday where she received the backing of loyalists and anti-cuts activists, as she laid out her election pledges. “I am impressed with Sturgeon thus far, [...]
The free trade deals that could turbo-charge the UK economy by £10bn February 11, 2015 Few know it, but you are all paying a secret tax. Trade tariffs and other protectionist barriers are a hidden part of the price you pay for almost everything you buy. Consider this: if we could do a trade deal between America and the EU, at one stroke we could create up to 2m jobs, [...]
McDonald’s Big Cheese: UK makeover chief Steve Easterbrook now has the whole world on his plate January 29, 2015 Steve Easterbrook, who used to play cricket at Durham University alongside ex-England captain Nasser Hussain, has long been viewed as one of McDonald’s star players – obtaining a captaincy of his own yesterday at the world’s biggest fast food chain. McDonald’s new Watford-born chief executive will take on the challenging task of reviving the group’s [...]
Mapped: The most unaffordable places to get a mortgage in the UK January 8, 2015 Last year the bar was raised for first-time buyers hoping to get a mortgage, as the Bank of England introduced new rules limiting the amount banks and building societies can lend. For the first time, the amount mortgage customers can borrow has been capped at 4.5 times their income. If you're looking to buy that [...]