EU referendum: House of Lords says vote to leave would lead to “difficult and lengthy negotiations” May 4, 2016 If the United Kingdom ends up voting to leave the European Union, the departure will follow years of difficult negotiations focussed primarily at how to validate the rights of the two million Britons living in the EU, a House of Lords report has warned. The Lords EU committee said that leaving the EU would necessitate [...]
Construction industry grows at its slowest pace in three years May 4, 2016 The makers and manufacturers are marching a little slower than they once were – and a great deal slower than chancellor George Osborne would like. Fresh purchasing managers' index (PMI) figures for the construction sector out this morning showed that the building industry expanded at its slowest pace since June 2013 last month. That comes off [...]
There’s going to be 40,000 fewer seats on London flight routes to Isle of Man this summer May 4, 2016 There will be 40,000 fewer seats on London routes to the Isle of Man this summer, according to TravelWatch. The transport watchdog said that the fall was due to the planned reduction in Easyjet flights from Gatwick on peak summer Saturdays and some peak summer midweek days, as well as the loss of Flybe's Stansted [...]
Playing this smartphone game could help scientists spot the warning signs of dementia May 4, 2016 Could a mobile app named Sea Hero Quest help scientists spot the warning signs of dementia? Scientists at University College London (UCL) believe it could – and they want you to take part in their study. Researchers at UCL developed the game, in which users navigate a ship through "Arctic rivers and the glorious Golden [...]
Green Flag boosts Direct Line Insurance Group to gross written premium growth May 4, 2016 Direct Line Insurance Group reported a boost to its gross written premiums in its first set of quarterly results for 2016, thanks in part to continued growth in its Green Flag partnership. The insurer revealed that gross written premiums from ongoing operations had grown by 4.2 per cent to £777.8m in the three months to March [...]
Brexit would spell the end to UK manufacturing May 4, 2016 Britain's already embattled manufacturing sector would be left fighting for its long-term survival if Britain votes to leave the European Union. Asked about its survival prospects outside of the EU, professor Marco Taisch, chairman of the World Manufacturing Forum, told City A.M: "It's a matter of time. It can survive for five to seven years, but long-term it can't." [...]
EU referendum: Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair says the UK will do the “sensible” thing and vote to Remain May 4, 2016 The United Kingdom will do the "sensible thing" and vote to remain in the European Union, former Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. The former Labour leader said that most Britons would think it is foolish to take the risk and vote for Brexit. Speaking to Bloomberg, Blair said: "When you look at the polls, [...]
Losses at Wonga double as firm grapples with turnaround May 4, 2016 Losses at controversial payday lender Wonga have more than doubled as the firm continues to grapple with its turnaround. The figures Revenues fell 64 per cent to £77.3m in the calendar year, but costs fell 17 per cent. Wonga's pre-tax losses widened by 52 per cent on last year, to £80.2m. The business said its decline [...]
Barclays has just started offering a 100 per cent mortgage (but bank of mum and dad is still required) May 4, 2016 We all know how well 100 per cent mortgages worked before the financial crisis – but now Barclays has become one of the first lenders since the crisis not to require a deposit from first-time buyers. Well, sort of. The lender said it has made changes to one of its first time buyer mortgages which means borrowers [...]
Standard Life snaps up Axa’s Elevate May 4, 2016 Standard Life has today agreed to buy Elevate, Axa's wrap platform aimed at investors. The move will see Standard Life gain over 150,000 customers and £9.8bn worth of assets under administration. Standard Life will be purchasing the platform through subsidiary Standard Life Savings, using cash to acquire the entire share capital of Elevate, which is the trading name for Axa Portfolio [...]