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 [...]
Greek crisis: Grexit would signal Europe’s impotence, claims French PM Manuel Valls July 9, 2015 Allowing Greece to leave the Eurozone would be “an admission of impotence,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said. It was critical the country stay in the currency bloc, he said in a keynote speech today, saying a deal between Greece and its creditors – the IMF, the EC and the ECB – was [...]
Brexit: German businesses based in the UK don’t want Britain to go July 9, 2015 German businesses based in the UK have called on David Cameron to avoid a British exit from the European Union (EU). In a letter to the Prime Minister, chancellor and business secretary, Bernd Atensttaedt, chairman of German Industry UK, which represents 100 chief executives of industrial companies in the UK with a German majority shareholding [...]
Nigel Farage: “There is a new Berlin Wall and it is called the euro” July 8, 2015 Ukip leader Nigel Farage has launched another scathing attack on the European Union and its leaders as he stood up to speak at the European Parliament during a session on the Greek crisis talks. The European project has started to die. The plan has failed. The whole of the Mediterranean finds itself in the wrong [...]
Barack Obama makes personal intervention in Greek crisis talks July 8, 2015 With Greece given five days to reach an agreement ahead of an emergency summit attended by all 28 EU member states, President Barack Obama has made his first personal intervention in the crisis in months. Obama spoke to both Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the leaders gathered in Brussels. [...]
July Budget 2015: Can you tell the difference between George Osborne and Gordon Brown? July 8, 2015 It's Budget day again today- and if it all seems a bit repetitive to you, spare a thought for George Osborne, who will be enduring his twelfth. Although, admittedly, it'll be the first time he hasn't had another party to please. But are they really all the same at heart? We've trawled through George [...]
July Budget 2015: What time is it, how to watch it and what to expect July 7, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is busily preparing to deliver his "emergency Budget" tomorrow, with its name alluding to the fact it's so close to the General Election. But it's also attracting attention is because it's the first exclusively Conservative Budget in almost 20 years – in 1996 then-chancellor Kenneth Clarke delivered a package framed as the "Rolls-Royce recovery [...]