Autumn Statement 2015: Osborne hits out at SNP, says falling oil prices would have forced independent Holyrood into catastrophic cuts November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne used this afternoon's Autumn Statement to make a dig at the Scottish nationalists, issuing a stark warning about what might have been had they had succeeded in securing independence. Citing the severe drop-off in global oil prices since the Scottish referendum in September 2014, Osborne said the knock-on effects on government revenues would have [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne delivers some relief to embattled UK steel industry November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne has cut costs for energy intensive industries, such as the embattled steel sector, in a bid to give them long-term certainty. Osborne, who was addressing parliament with his Autumn Statement today, said: "We're going to permanently exempt our energy intensive industries … from the cost of environmental tariffs, so we keep their bills down, keep them [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Changes to bring in £5bn a year from tax avoidance November 25, 2015 The government is aiming to bring in £5bn more a year through tackling tax avoidance by 2019-20. In the Autumn Statement chancellor George Osborne confirmed £800m more would be spent on tackling evasion and non-compliance through to 2020. The government is also set to build a digital tax system to help fight avoidance and to [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Treasury documents reveal new details about planned RBS, Lloyds, Northern Rock sales November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne may not have mentioned returning British banks to private ownership in his statement to parliament this afternoon, but buried in the Treasury's official Spending Review and Autumn Statement documents are new details about plans for selling off the government's stake in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds. Noting that the government is "committed to [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Shadow chancellor John McDonnell just quoted Mao ZeDong’s Little Red Book in the House of Commons November 25, 2015 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell might have been hoping to embarrass his counterpart over his growing ties with China. But when he quoted Communist Party leader Mao ZeDong and brandished the infamous Little Red Book in the House of Commons the reaction was all directed towards McDonnell. During his response to George Osborne's Autumn Statement, Labour's number two said: [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: How the analysts, businesses and think tanks reacted to the key points in George Osborne’s speech November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement and Spending Review speech to parliament today. He announced increased housing in inner cities, a sell-off of prisons to develop new homes, and more cash for affordable housing schemes. Read more: Osborne announces surprise u-turn on tax credits Here's what the analysts, business and think tanks think about Osborne's plans: What the analysts said: [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne just compared the tampon tax to Libor banking fines as £15m raised will go to women’s charities November 25, 2015 George Osborne has announced a new plan in the Autumn Statement, which probably sounded good on paper, but has not quite hit the mark as expected when announced out loud. The five per cent tax levied on tampons remains (despite many a campaign to abolish it), deferring a decision on it to Europe, but the chancellor revealed the [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Osborne confirms new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne today said that the new flat state pension will be £155.65 a week, while the basic state pension will rise by £3.35 to £119.30 a week from April. It came as he promised to maintain the state pension "triple lock" – meaning they'll rise in line with the highest of inflation, earnings or at [...]
PMQs today: Jeremy Corbyn skips asking about Syria, focuses on climate and women’s safety November 25, 2015 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used his six questions at today's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) to probe Prime Minister David Cameron on the government's policies surrounding climate change and violence against women, rather than ask about proposals for further military action against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria ahead of an expected parliamentary vote on the issue [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Chancellor George Osborne banks on UK housebuilding boom as experts warn of looming £30bn black hole November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne will vow to double the national housing budget when he presents his five-year spending plan later today, despite new warnings that the Treasury is facing a £30bn “black hole” in its finances. In a statement to parliament combining the Spending Review and the Autumn Statement, Osborne will say that public finances “come down [...]