Russia’s Gazprom moves to quash Saudi-style gas price war speculation May 31, 2016 Russian export monopoly Gazprom has moved to quash speculation that it could start a price war in the European gas market. Analysts, industry experts and commentators have argued Russia, which supplies about a third of Europe's gas via pipelines, could cut its prices in response to higher cost US liquefied natural gas shipments. Such a move would [...]
The European Union lost over €880m to fraud in 2015 May 31, 2016 More than €880m (£675m) of EU funds was stolen by fraudsters last year, a new report from the European Union's anti-fraud body has found. The European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) responded to 1,442 allegations of fraud in 2015, closing more than 300 separate investigations which revealed €888.1m had been lost to fraud. This was slightly down on the €901m lost [...]
Shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger targets Liverpool mayoralty May 31, 2016 Labour's shadow mental health minister is to confirm plans to run for mayor of the Liverpool city region, becoming the second member of the party's shadow cabinet to announce plans for local government. Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham announced that he would enter the race for the Greater Manchester mayoralty in mid-May, and this afternoon Luciana Berger will [...]
Boris ignored repeated warnings over “unrealistic” landlord scheme May 31, 2016 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused his predecessor Boris Johnson of failing renters, and falling dramatically short of a target to accredit 100,000 landlords. Johnson introduced the London rental standard in 2012 as part of a plan to accredit good landlords and letting agents, with the scheme eventually coming into force in 2014. However, since [...]
Ladbrokes cuts Brexit odds as poll shows increasing support for Leave campaign May 31, 2016 Ladbrokes has cut the odds of a Brexit vote as a new poll has shown support for the Leave campaign growing. Last week the bookmaker was offering of a Leave vote at 5/1, but has today cut the odds to 10/3. Ladbrokes head of political betting Matthew Shaddick says: “Leave chipped away at Remain's lead [...]
EU court opinion supports corporate headscarf ban May 31, 2016 Companies can ban Muslim staff from wearing headscarves if the rules are part of a general prohibition on religious symbols in the workplace, according to the European Court of Justice. The court has published the non-binding opinion in connection with a case taken by former G4S employee Samira Achbita, a Muslim woman who was fired by [...]
Donald Trump – the one thing even Stephen Hawking can’t explain May 31, 2016 What's more complicated than theoretical physics? It's not a trick question. Superstar scientist Stephen Hawking has theorised extensively about black holes and how the universe works, but he's still left utterly stumped by one fact of life – the popularity of Donald Trump. When asked to explain the rise of support for Trump, appearing on [...]
EU referendum: Business secretary Sajid Javid to say small businesses rely on trade with EU May 31, 2016 Business secretary Sajid Javid is to argue small and medium-sized businesses benefit from EU membership – amid rising tension between Remain and Leave on the economy. Javid will cite new figures which show 1.2m small firms export to Europe or supply firms that export to Europe, demonstrating the importance of free trade with the bloc. On a [...]
EU referendum: Remain campaign Britain Stronger in Europe says Vote Leave has made £111bn in spending commitments May 31, 2016 The Remain campaign has hit out at the Leave campaign for more than £100bn in spending commitments it has made in the buildup to the vote in June. In a report published this morning Britain Stronger in Europe said that Vote Leave have made £111bn in spending commitments, which is over ten times the net £10bn [...]
European business leaders sign letter in support of EU May 31, 2016 The leaders of some of Europe's biggest businesses have today issued a letter in support of the European Union, ahead of the upcoming UK referendum. All 51 members of the European Round Table of Industrials signed the letter, which said that an unravelling of the Single Market and the rules governing 28 countries "would reduce, [...]