British tax burden at 50-year high, according to TaxPayers’ Alliance December 2, 2018 The TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group has called for lower taxes as ‘poorest’ families struggle with current levels. The TPA, linked to the Atlas Network of free market advocates, said the UK’s tax take was at a 50-year high of 34.6 per cent of GDP. National current receipts are at a 21-year high as a proportion [...]
Macron feels the heat as protests ramp up December 2, 2018 When Emmanuel Macron landed in Paris after the G20 summit in Argentina his motorcade delivered him straight to the Arc de Triomphe, where he was confronted with a vivid depiction of the anger felt by many of his citizens – and of his own place in this crisis. One of the country's most famous monuments [...]
Flybe and Monarch in bitter dispute over alleged breach of maintenance contract December 2, 2018 Beleaguered airline Flybe is locked in a war of words with Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) over a terminated maintenance contract. Exeter-based airline Flybe, which put itself up for sale last month, terminated a contract with the aircraft repair company for maintenance services. The airline has accused MAEL of breaching the contract by withdrawing its services “unilaterally”. “Flybe [...]
Takeover saves 260 jobs at luxury furniture maker Smallbone December 2, 2018 Luxury furniture maker Smallbone of Devizes has been rescued from going under after finding a new buyer to help save the brand. US investor Sapphire 700 has bought the company’s parent Canburg, which also owns Mark Wilkinson Furniture and Brookmans. The deal helps save 260 jobs in the three brands, and keeps production in Devizes, Wiltshire, [...]
Hedge funds bet big on Shire deal ahead of Takeda investor vote December 2, 2018 Two hedge funds have bet over £1bn that Takeda Pharmaceuticals will club through its acquisition of Shire at a shareholder meeting On Wednesday. US billionaire Seth Klarman’s Baupost took a 1.12 per cent stake in Shire earlier this month, hoping that the company’s stocks will rise after the deal is approved. Alongside its holdings in [...]
Embankment traffic harming 15,000 east London businesses, study warns December 2, 2018 Heavy traffic on the Embankment is causing serious economic harm to east London businesses, a new study has warned. Research by transport economists Volterra Partners revealed the removal of a traffic lane on the A3211, which runs between Westminster Bridge and Tower Hill, has significantly increased journey times. Volterra partners said increased congestion has meant [...]
Private sector growth slows amid ‘lacklustre’ conditions as Brexit uncertainty weighs on firms December 2, 2018 Private sector growth slowed in the quarter to November amid “lacklustre” conditions, with activity relatively stable compared to a rise in previous monthly figures. According to a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the balance of firms reporting a rise in output was two per cent in the three months to November, down [...]
Trump cancels new tariffs as China pledges to reduce trade gap December 2, 2018 US president Donald Trump has scrapped plans to increase tariffs on Chinese goods, in an announcement that sees the year-long US-China trade war cool considerably. The White House announced it would hold fire on raising tariffs on $200bn (£156bn) worth of goods from China. They had been scheduled to increase to 25 per cent from 1 [...]
Court short: Will Brexit loosen the UK’s legal grip? December 2, 2018 Last Thursday, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska squared off against a fellow Russian businessman Vladimir Chernukhin in court 15 of London’s Rolls Building, while in court 28 two Romanian oil companies went toe-to-toe, and in Court 19 a Russian bank litigated against some of its former shareholders. London has developed into a pre-eminent international dispute resolution [...]
Zoopla founder Alex Chesterman drives away with £30m funding for used car startup December 2, 2018 Zoopla founder Alex Chesterman wants to cut out the awkward tyre-kicking from buying a used car with a new startup. Chesterman, who sold Zoopla for £2.2bn earlier this year, said Cazoo aimed to make buying a car “no different to buying any other product online today”. The entrepreneur, who will serve as Cazoo’s CEO, has [...]