Miliband’s disappointing stamp duty pledge won’t make the tax less stupid April 27, 2015 Housing, and its affordability crisis, is a bigger issue at this election than in any other for decades. Sadly, that hasn’t translated into policies that could effectively solve the problem, and yesterday’s announcements by Labour leader Ed Miliband will not change that. Labour plans to introduce a three-year stamp duty exemption for first time buyers, [...]
How not to trade the UK’s General Elections – CNBC Comment April 27, 2015 One month after each of the last six UK General Elections, the average return of the FTSE 100 has been 1.85 per cent. Meanwhile, sterling has fallen by an average of 3.06 per cent against the US dollar. So the lesson is simple: buy the FTSE and sell the pound, right? Clearly – not so. [...]
General Election: Only Scottish patients are getting the best new drugs on the NHS April 27, 2015 Terminally ill people in Scotland are being given the best new cancer drugs, while those in the rest of the UK are being deprived of them. This apparently unfair difference stems from the way drug provision by NHS England and NHS Scotland is regulated, with Scotland's drug monitoring body making it much easier for [...]
General Election 2015: At least six of the small business owners who signed the Conservative letter of support are also Tory candidates April 27, 2015 At least six of the names that appeared on the open letter purporting to be small businesses backing the Conservatives are in fact Tory candidates. For most of the day, critics have been poring over the list of names to establish whether they are in fact genuine small business owners. Pretty early on, it [...]
General Election 2015: Cameron says he’s “bloody lively” – but does he need to be? April 27, 2015 David Cameron was in the City this morning, trying to convince small business owners he's on their side, and trying to convince the broader electorate he's passionate about what his party has to offer. The PM has been under pressure in recent days for not showing enough fire on the campaign trail, as the [...]
Lord Ashcroft poll: Conservatives lead nationally by six points but marginals are a mixed bag April 27, 2015 Good news for the Conservatives in the form of Lord Ashcroft's national poll, which puts them six points ahead of Labour on 36 per cent. The poll shows the most substantial Tory lead for two weeks. Ukip was down to 11 per cent with Greens and Lib Dems trailing on seven and 11 per cent [...]
General Election 2015: Small business support for Tories is stronger in the south than north, according to 5,000-strong Telegraph letter April 27, 2015 Small businesses in the south of England are the overwhelming backers of the Tory party compared with those located across the rest of the UK, based on the 5,000-strong letter of support published in The Telegraph. The letter, the second signed by business leaders in the lead-up to the General Election, has recieved widespread criticism however, as it [...]
General Election 2015 poll: SNP “going from strength to strength” April 27, 2015 A new snapshot by TNS shows the Scottish National Party (SNP) is on course to sweep Scotland in next week’s General Election. The poll has Nicola Sturgeon’s party with 54 per cent support in Scotland, while Labour trail on 22 per cent in what has traditionally been its electoral heartland. Tom Costley, head [...]
General Election 2015: Lord Mandelson’s firm predicts that whatever happens, the SNP win April 27, 2015 The SNP will try and ensure conditions for a second independence referendum victory, driving a "political wedge" between Scotland and England, according to new new research note from Global Counsel entitled "why the SNP will win whatever happens on 7 May." What the makes the note especially interesting is that it is from a firm [...]
General Election 2015: David Cameron vows to slash £10bn of regulation for small businesses April 27, 2015 David Cameron has said his party is engaged in a "battle for the backbone of Britain" and that meeting small businesses "pumps" him up, unveiling the Tories' small business manifesto in a noticeably more passionate address than in the previous weeks of campaigning. The Conservatives plan to relieve small businesses of £10bn worth of regulation [...]