Housebuilder shares rise as Conservatives promise 200,000 cheap starter homes for first-time buyers March 2, 2015 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders bounced this morning, after the Conservatives pledged to make 200,000 "starter homes" available cheap for first-time buyers if they win the election. Shares in Taylor Wimpey rose 1.54 per cent to 147p in early trading, while Barratt rose 0.87 per cent to 520p and Persimmon rose 1.36 per cent [...]
Liberal Democrats call for extra £1bn bank levy to pay off deficit March 1, 2015 Plans to tax Britain’s banks should be lifted with an additional £1bn levy in order to help pay off the deficit, will be announced by the Liberal Democrats today. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, is making a bid to have the proposal included in the chancellor’s Budget later this month. If it is [...]
SNP slams plans for Union Jack branding on taxpayer projects March 1, 2015 A WAR of words between the government and the SNP has broken out over plans to put the Union flag on big infrastructure projects. The plans that will be announced today by chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander mirror the EU’s practice of featuring its flag on projects paid for with European grants. The [...]
Election doubt puts renewable firms off the UK March 1, 2015 THE UK’s status as a top destination for renewable energy investors is under threat, according to a new study released today by Ernst and Young. The decline is largely due to a lack of clarity from politicians as to where renewables fit into the country’s energy mix. EY says that the upcoming election in May [...]
Lib Dems pledge to torpedo Labour’s tuition fees policy in any future coalition March 1, 2015 Ed Miliband fails to win an outright majority and finds himself in the position of forming a Labour-Lib Dem coalition, his latest pledge on tuition could be the first policy in jeopardy. Lib Dem Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said his party would block Labour's plans to cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 and [...]
Ukip savages “BBC bias” over “pro-EU mockumentary” and questions Corporation’s EU funding March 1, 2015 Ukip has launched a stinging attack on the BBC in anticipation of what the party has labelled a "pro-EU" mockumentary to be aired on tonight on BBC 4. The Storyville programme "The Great European Disaster Movie", authored by Italian director Annalisa Piras and ex-editor of The Economist Bill Emmott, envisions a dystopian post-EU future where [...]
Ukip viewed as “racist” and “nasty” by 44pc of voters February 27, 2015 As Ukip meets for its spring conference in Margate the pollsters have both good and bad news for Nigel Farage's party. Ukip will be pleased to hear that over a third of the public trust them more than any other party to handle immigration. Never before in British politics has one of the minor parties [...]
General election 2015: There’s a 74 per cent chance Ed Miliband will be the next PM, according to poll February 27, 2015 Despite reports of consistent unpopularity among both his supporters and opponents, there's a pretty high chance Ed Miliband will become our next Prime Minister after May's general election. To be fair, the Populus/Hanover election outcome predictor is not based on just a head-to-head between the Conservatives and Labour – it takes into account all possible [...]
What is the likelihood of Brexit? 17 per cent according to top think tank February 27, 2015 One of Britain's leading think tanks has revealed its preidction of the likelihood a British exit from the EU. Open Europe, which launched its "Brexit barometer" last night, estimated Britain had a 17 per cent chance of leaving the EU. The estimate will dash the hopes of Eurosceptics who are banking on public dissatisfaction with [...]
Immigration data forces David Cameron to explain failed commitment as net migration rises significantly February 26, 2015 The net migration rate in the UK has risen significantly, official figures showed yesterday, leaving Prime Minister David Cameron to explain why he has failed to meet his commitment to slash the number of people who come to the UK. The PM had said that he would reduce the rate of net migration, the difference [...]