Chancellor George Osborne facing Budget squeeze after postponing Lloyds share sell-off January 28, 2016 George Osborne was dealt a double blow yesterday, as Britain’s economic growth slowed and the government was forced to postpone the sell-off of Lloyds, with economists warning that taxes could be raised to make up for a shortfall in the public finances. The sale of the final chunk of Lloyds shares – which was expected to [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Labour candidate Sadiq Khan attacks Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith over housing policy January 28, 2016 Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan was on the offensive tonight at the first official hustings event in the race for City Hall, as he attacked Conservative rival Zac Goldmsith over housing policy. Khan and Goldsmith participated in a public debate organised by the London Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) at the London School of Economics. The debate also [...]
EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron will reportedly discuss an emergency brake on migration with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker January 28, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron will reportedly discuss a new so-called emergency brake rule to curb migration when he meets European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tomorrow in Brussels. Downing Street revealed yesterday that Cameron had cancelled a trip to Denmark and Sweden this week and would instead sit down with Juncker for crunch talks ahead of next [...]
EU referendum: Brexit could cause a total loss to UK GDP of two to seven per cent, says AXA economist January 27, 2016 If Britain votes to leave the European Union the loss to the UK's gross domestic product would lie between two and seven per cent, according to a top AXA economist. Senior economist at AXA Investment Managers David Page said that AXA's own assessments of Brexit are more skewed to a "pessimistic outlook", and as such [...]
EU referendum: How will SMEs vote? January 27, 2016 With the prospect of increased business rates looming in George Osborne’s March Budget as well as the European Union referendum set to take place next year, UK SMEs have a number of issues that need to be addressed within their businesses in order to remain profitable during what could be a turbulent time. This is [...]
EU referendum: Former Scottish National Party leader may back Brexit to help achieve Scottish independence January 27, 2016 A number of those who are in favour of Scottish independence and strongly support staying in the European Union could end up voting for Brexit in order to bolster the chances of gaining independence for Scotland, a former Scottish National Party leader has said. Speaking to Reuters, former SNP leader Gordon Wilson said that some voters may [...]
EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron cancels trip to Denmark and Sweden to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker January 27, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a trip to Denmark and Sweden this week and will instead sit down with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for crunch talks ahead of next month's European Council meeting. Downing Street said this afternoon that the Prime Minister will travel to Brussels on Friday to meet one-on-one with Juncker to [...]
PMQs today: Prime Minister David Cameron turns tables on Labour over £130m Google tax deal January 27, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to defend the government's approach to collecting corporation tax today after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn questioned Google's £130m back taxes deal. "We're talking about tax that should have been collected under a Labour government, raised by a Conservative government," Cameron said at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). "No government has done more than [...]
EU referendum: Britain leaving the European Union could cut net migration by 100,000, according to Migration Watch UK January 27, 2016 Britain leaving the European Union could reduce net migration by 100,000, according to pressure group Migration Watch UK. The group, which campaigns for cutting migration to the UK, today released a report that found Brexit would lead to net migration falling dramatically from its current level of 180,000. "It is time to examine possible alternative [...]
Government loses court case after the so-called bedroom tax is labelled discriminatory by Court of Appeal judges January 27, 2016 The government has lost a Court of Appeal case after judges declared the so-called bedroom tax discriminatory, following a legal challenge by a domestic violence victim and the family of a disabled teenager. The Court of Appeal decision came after a hearing in November. The government have said they will appeal against the ruling, according to the BBC. The [...]