General Election 2015: FinnCap CEO Sam Smith wants more help for growing companies and support for UK FinTech April 29, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN: 7 DAYS TO GO Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. SAM SMITH: CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FINNCAP Put in place further tax breaks for investing in growth companies. Reduced the corporate [...]
Consumer optimism gives mixed signals ahead of General Election as confidence index plateaus April 29, 2015 Consumer confidence is high going into the General Election, new figures show today, but has failed to improve on last month. The consumer confidence index produced by market researchers GfK remained at a score of four in April. Despite confidence failing to improve on March, it is at its highest level for over a [...]
Countrywide blames General Election uncertainty for first quarter slowdown April 29, 2015 Britain’s biggest estate agency Countrywide warned that market transactions would be “significantly below” last year’s levels, because of uncertainty over the outcome of the election causing prospective buyers to put their plans on hold. The company, which owns estate agencies including Hamptons, Blundells and John D Wood, said total income dropped by two per cent [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s EU mischief-making is a taste of the political blackmail to come April 29, 2015 Both Sinn Fein and the SNP launched their General Election manifestos last week, demanding that, in any future referendum, all four nations of the UK must agree to leave the European Union before it can happen. If ever there was a policy that claims to be about unity when it is all about fomenting division, [...]
David Cameron is right: We should balance the budget without tax hikes April 29, 2015 The Prime Minister pledged yesterday to introduce a law to prevent increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT for the whole of the next Parliament. While a law may be a crude tool, it does reinforce two crucial points. First, deficit reduction should come primarily from reductions in public spending rather than further tax [...]
General Election: David Cameron promises to stop tax increases with new law April 29, 2015 If the Conservatives are voted in at the General Election, David Cameron has promised to introduce a new law that would prevent tax increases for five years. During a speech today, he said Britons should be allowed to keep hold of what they earn, and that they have paid “enough tax”. "It's time for [...]
General Election 2015: Van containing 200,000 ballot papers stolen overnight April 29, 2015 Thieves have stolen a van containing more than 200,000 ballot papers for constituencies in the south east. The vehicle – which is not thought to have been stolen for its contents – held 72,300 voting slips for Hastings and Rye and 130,000 for Eastbourne. The papers had been printed in London and were [...]
Ashcroft poll: Nigel Farage set to lose South Thanet while Nick Clegg trails Labour in Sheffield Hallam April 29, 2015 Tory peer Lord Ashcroft's latest round of polls show Nigel Farage two points behind his Conservative opponent Craig Mackinlay in the key battleground constituency of South Thanet. The Ukip leader has said he will resign as party leader if he fails to take the Kent seat. The Tories have marginally increased their lead over Ukip in South [...]
General Election 2015: Watch Russell Brand interview Ed Miliband on The Trews April 29, 2015 Comedian and wannabe political philosopher Russell Brand has published his highly anticipated video interview with Labour leader Ed Miliband. Miliband has received a lot of flack in the press for going to Brand's Shoreditch home for the interview and David Cameron mocked Miliband's decision to take part, labelling Brand "a joke". The Tory leader said: He [...]
General Election 2015: Michael Bloomberg backs David Cameron and asks Britain to let the Tories finish the job April 29, 2015 David Cameron has received the endorsement of billionaire businessman and former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg writes that he rarely endorses national political candidates but is making an exception for David Cameron in the same way he made an exception for Barack Obama in 2012. "David Cameron's gutsy decisions and strong leadership have [...]