Chancellor George Osborne: No UK cash will be used in the making of a Greek bailout July 14, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is moving to block any attempt to use British taxpayers’ money as part of the Greek bailout, Treasury sources have announced. The chancellor has apparently said he will block any move by the EU to use UK taxpayers’ money as part of Greece’s €12bn (£8.5bn) bridging loan. Osborne is reported to have [...]
SNP to vote on fox hunting as they play with constitutional fire July 14, 2015 The Scottish National Party’s Westminster MPs will vote against relaxing the fox hunting ban in England, reneging on a pledge not to vote on issues that have no impact on Scotland. Following a meeting which nearly split its 56 MPs, the party confirmed it would team up with Labour to vote against relaxing the ban [...]
Oil falls as Iran agrees historic nuclear deal with Western powers – reports July 14, 2015 Brent crude oil fell 2.1 per cent to $56.65 a barrel in early trading as diplomats at talks in Vienna said they had agreed a historic deal with Iran on limiting its nuclear programme. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, dropped 2.3 per cent to $51. Under the deal, world powers including the US, [...]
Former MEP Ashley Mote jailed for five years for fraudulently claiming £500,000 from the European Parliament July 13, 2015 A former MEP, who was elected on a Ukip ticket, from Hampshire will be jailed for five years for fraudulently claiming almost £500,000 worth of expenses from the European Parliament. Ashley Mote, 79, was convicted in May for 12 fraud-related offences, and using the gains to fund his court battles in the UK. At London's [...]
Businesses are scared to speak out against Brexit July 13, 2015 Even though two thirds of UK companies believe a so-called Brexit would be damaging for them, only seven per cent would speak out in favour of staying in the EU, new research has found. Read more: Sajid Javid questions CBI stance on European Union membership Close to two thirds of the FTSE 350 company secretaries surveyed [...]
Gatwick boasts record June numbers as Lords prepare to grill Sir Howard Davies over Heathrow decision July 13, 2015 Gatwick airport today revealed significant growth in long-haul traffic, as the company said June was its 28th consecutive month of passenger growth. Read more: Gatwick executive blasts Heathrow as a monopoly In total, 3.8m people travelled through Gatwick last month, making it the busiest ever June. The south-of-London airport said that 184,000 more passengers [...]
Business secretary Sajid Javid defends “regressive” Budget on Marr July 12, 2015 Business secretary Sajid Javid has defended criticism of the government's Budget as regressive, following an analysis by the Institue of Fiscal Studies, concluding it was "not the Budget of a tax reforming chancellor". "As in every Budget, there will be some losers and some winners," said Javid, responding to questioning on the BBC's Andrew Marr [...]
July Budget 2015: Is it too early to get excited about the government’s “northern powerhouse” plans? July 9, 2015 In his Summer Budget announcement, chancellor George Osborne made no apologies for highlighting the point that the Conservatives have boldly done something that previous governments haven’t been able (or possibly willing) to do – addressing the huge gap between the North and South. Making several references to the government’s "northern powerhouse’ plans, the chancellor confirmed [...]
Greek crisis: Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says Greek government is “a bunch of lunatics” and the nation should “get out and work” to pay off debts July 9, 2015 Outspoken Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary – famous for winding up his own passengers on a regular basis – has turned his own brand of “say it as it is” comments on the Greek crisis, describing the government as “a bunch of lunatics”. O'Leary – whose business operates flights to and from cities such as [...]
July Budget 2015: Chancellor George Osborne hits back at “anti-business” critics July 9, 2015 The chancellor has hit out at claims yesterday's Budget will hit small businesses, saying it offered the UK a "new contract". Read more: At a glance – July Budget 2015 In an interview on Radio 4 this morning, George Osborne said the new Living Wage was a "fair deal" for taxpayers. Labour has slammed the Living [...]