General Election 2015: Brits would trust a fictional dog more than political leaders March 5, 2015 Forget David Cameron versus Ed Miliband, there's a new candidate in town leading the polls in the popularity stakes. In what can only be described as a damning indictment of politics today, Britons think a dog is more trustworthy than any of the current candidates who could potentially become Prime Minister in May. Nearly three-quarters [...]
David Cameron agrees to one TV debate featuring seven party leaders March 4, 2015 David Cameron has put his cards on the table and agreed to just one TV debate that would feature seven party leaders and last 90-minutes. Downing street said this was its final offer after the "chaos" of the negotiating process. Today at Prime Minister's Questions Labour leader Ed Miliband challenged the Prime Minister to take [...]
Lord Aschcroft poll of marginal constituencies shows Labour and Tories neck and neck March 4, 2015 Lord Ashcroft has released his latest round of polls of marginal constituencies that could signal the winner of this year's general election. In total, Lord Ashcroft polled four Conservative-Labour marginals and eight Scottish seats. In two of the marginals, Labour was ahead by one point. In the Colne Valley the Tories were up by one [...]
Ford’s European chief Jim Farley says UK is better off without a Brexit March 4, 2015 Car manufacturing behemoth Ford has thrown its weight behind the campaign to keep the UK in the European Union. Jim Farley, the president of Ford’s European operation, said the company “really hopes” the UK remains part of the EU. He called the UK’s continued membership “critical”. During his slot on Radio 4's Today programme, Farley underlined [...]
Has Ukip just abandoned its immigration cap? Nigel Farage rejects “abitrary targets” March 3, 2015 Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said his party will reject "arbitrary targets" on immigration if it holds the balance of power ahead of a major speech on Wednesday. Farage reiterated Ukip's pledge to end what the party call Britain's "open borders" approach to immigration. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Farage said Ukip will [...]
Sol Campbell won’t stand for Westminster: Ex-Arsenal defender rules out bid for Kensington and Chelsea seat March 3, 2015 Sol Campbell has officially ruled himself out in the race to succeed veteran Tory MP Malcom Rifkind as the MP for Kensington and Chelsea. Rifkind resigned the seat following an undercover investigation by Chanel 4's Dispatches into so-called "cash for access". Former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw was also embroiled in the scandal. Explaining his [...]
Taylor Wimpey reports sunny outlook for spring as it shrugs off slowing housing market March 3, 2015 The figures Britain's second biggest homebuilder said full-year revenue rose 17 per cent to £2.7bn, up from £2.3bn a year earlier. This was helped along by operating profit which swelled 53.6 per cent to £480m. Total home completions jumped 6.5 per cent to 12,454 (including joint ventures) up from 11,696 in 2013. Total average selling price [...]
Tories launch new poster from veteran ad agency M&C Saatchi warning Labour would wreck the recovery March 2, 2015 Today the Conservatives unveiled a new election poster created by legendary ad agency M&C Saatchi. The poster warns the electorate that the British economy is on the way to recovery, but a Labour government could wreck all the progress the government has made over the past five years. The poster sticks strictly to what the [...]
What’s in store for London’s financial services sector? March 2, 2015 Going into this year, a general election in May, as well as the possibility of a "Brexit" all loom over the City's future. So what are some of the biggest risks facing London's financial services industry? It's an important question. Financial and related professional services contributed £174bn to the UK economy in 2012, or 12.6% of the total. [...]
Liberal Democrats call for extra £1bn bank levy to pay off deficit March 1, 2015 Plans to tax Britain’s banks should be lifted with an additional £1bn levy in order to help pay off the deficit, will be announced by the Liberal Democrats today. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, is making a bid to have the proposal included in the chancellor’s Budget later this month. If it is [...]