Profit slips at private equity takeover target RPC November 28, 2018 Plastics maker RPC today announced a slight dip in profit ahead of a deadline for its US private equity suitors to make firm bids for the business. RPC said its adjusted profit before tax fell two per cent to £188.9m in the six months to September 2018. Revenue for the six months was £1.892bn, a [...]
DEBATE: Should Margaret Thatcher be considered as the scientist to be featured on the new £50 note? November 28, 2018 Should Margaret Thatcher be considered as the scientist to be featured on the new £50 note? Emma Revell, communications officer at the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. People will argue that science isn’t what Margaret Thatcher was most known for, and they’d be right. But the same could be said of Roger Bannister, a [...]
Strong leadership is the key to future prosperity November 28, 2018 Time for a story that has nothing to do with Brexit. The 2018 Legatum Prosperity Index is out today, and the trends are positive: global prosperity – a metric that takes into account not just GDP, but also factors such as wellbeing, health, and security – is at its highest since the think tank launched [...]
We are taking the first step to challenge university groupthink November 28, 2018 The world of academia may seem remote from everyday politics. But it would be wrong to conclude that the arguments made by university scholars do not matter for Westminster. In fact, the ideas that dominate in universities at any given time typically go on to strongly influence public debate and policy. This isn’t surprising, as most [...]
Inflows give profit boost to Brewin Dolphin November 28, 2018 Asset manager Brewin Dolphin today reported a profit jump as it was boosted by strong inflows. The company said adjusted profit before tax for the year to 30 September was £77.5m, a 10.7 per cent increase on the previous year. Its total funds stood at £42.8bn, an increase of 6.7 per cent. Brewin Dolphin increased [...]
Venezuela is a brutal lesson to the UK’s socialist apologists November 28, 2018 I know it is very hard to believe, but at some point we shall stop talking about Brexit. We shall get back to discussing what we can do to improve our lives and those of others. And we shall look for inspiration from other countries to learn lessons from catastrophic failures or discover truly amazing [...]
Like southern Europe, Britain’s stagnant regions are stuck in a monetary union trap November 28, 2018 The Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence created a bit of a stir at the end of last week with its estimates of growth in the regions of the UK. Since the recovery from the financial crisis began during 2009, London’s economy has grown by 26 per cent. At the other end of the scale, output [...]
Finally, the inheritance tax system is getting cleaned up – here’s what you need to know November 28, 2018 Inheritance tax (IHT) is not a modern phenomenon – in fact, the first “death tax” dates back to the late 1700s. Since then, IHT has been tweaked and amended, adding layer upon layer of rules. Now, in 2018, we’re caught in a system that is ridiculously confusing, riddled with legacy issues, and in desperate need [...]
Watchdog warns Experian-Clearscore merger would stifle competition November 28, 2018 Experian’s merger with credit score rival Clearscore could harm competition in the credit checking sector, a watchdog warned today. The proposed tie-up would “stifle product development”, hurting people trying to make sense of their finances, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). “Our investigation has shown that this is a fast-paced and evolving market, [...]
Ofcom reveals price cap for 118 directory enquiry service calls after charges hit £20 for a 90-second call November 28, 2018 Ofcom revealed plans today to cap the price of directory enquiry calls to protect consumers from high prices. The regulator said some services charge almost £20 for a 90-second phone call, while the popular 118 118 service charges £11.23 for a call of that duration. The telecoms watchdog will cap prices for 118 services at [...]