The national living wage is a ticking time bomb of hidden costs for British businesses April 1, 2016 The national living wage is expected to hit British businesses with hundreds of millions in hidden costs this year, in addition to the £804m already estimated – hindering investment and creating a time bomb that will blast through bottom lines by 2020. Figures from the government’s regulatory watchdog show employers may find themselves dealing with the [...]
Has Labour’s business Eagle landed? Shadow business secretary talks about boosting UK’s productivity March 31, 2016 Angela Eagle, shadow secretary of state for business,innovation and skills, is in a bullish mood, declaring she is always willing to listen to business and that the financial services industry is key to the UK’s growth. She also believes she has a recipe that will tackle the UK’s productivity problem: investment in skills, training and business. [...]
Prime minister David Cameron says “nationalisation not the answer” to steel crisis March 31, 2016 Prime minister David Cameron said today that nationalisation isn't the answer to a deepening crisis in the UK steel industry. He said "we're not ruling anything out" when asked if the government was ruling out nationalisation in the long-term. "I don't believe nationalisation is the right answer. What we want to do is secure a long [...]
Tata Steel crisis: Jeremy Corbyn’s petition to get David Cameron to recall parliament passes 100,000 signatures – but why is the Labour leader doing it? March 31, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn launched a petition yesterday to get David Cameron to recall parliament over the growing steel crisis. That's right. Instead of using his existing platform (and mandate) to call the Prime Minister to account, the leader of the opposition is resorting to grassroots tactics to get him to act. The good news is it's a popular [...]
EU referendum: British households save £200 per year thanks to EU free trade agreements – new London School of Economics (LSE) study March 31, 2016 British households save £200 per year thanks to European Union free trade agreements, according to a new report out today from the London School of Economics. The study from the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance says British families will benefit from more savings from planned EU trade agreements with the US and Japan, worth an [...]
Nanny state? Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) says taxes on wine, beer, cigarettes and sugar make Britain among the most meddling countries in the EU March 31, 2016 Excessive regulation and so-called "sin taxes" make Britain among the most meddling countries in the European Union, according to a new report out today from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The free market think tank published its annual "Nanny State Index" league table with the European Policy Information Centre, putting Britain in the number [...]
As the fate of Tata Steel’s UK operations hangs in the balance, is the writing on the wall for the British steel industry? March 30, 2016 The fate of Port Talbot steelworks and thousands of jobs lies in the hands of the government today with investors showing little appetite for buying the UK operations of Tata Steel outright. Prime Minister David Cameron will chair an emergency meeting of key ministers as Number 10 pledges to “ensure a sustainable future” for the troubled [...]
UK steel crisis: Prime Minister David Cameron rejects Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for MPs to hold an emergency debate over Tata Steel March 30, 2016 UPDATE: Downing Street has rejected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's appeal for MPs to return to London from their Easter holidays to debate the future of the British steel industry. A Number 10 spokesman said this afternoon: "Ministers will continue to hold briefings to update representatives of other parties on the situation but we have no plans [...]
Oh, GoD: Former cabinet secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell doubts UK could negotiate Brexit within two-year time limit March 30, 2016 The UK would struggle to negotiate its exit from the European Union within the two-year time limit, according to a former cabinet secretary. A Brexit win in June's referendum would lead to a "very complex process", Lord Gus O'Donnell (known to his mates as "God") has said. And he described the prospect of winning support from all [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan square off over Transport for London (TfL) fares and services March 30, 2016 Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith and his Labour rival Sadiq Khan will square off today over their plans for public transport in the capital, with Goldsmith vowing to protect investment in Transport for London (TfL) and Khan accusing the Richmond Park MP of planning to raise TfL fares by 17 per cent. Goldsmith is set to [...]