UK pensions: Retirement income remains below pre-financial crisis levels January 15, 2016 While retirement incomes are rising they're still below pre-financial crisis levels, according to new research by insurance firm Prudential. The average person who is retiring this year can expect an annual income of £17,700, marking the third annual increase in a row. And yet average retirement incomes are still stuck below pre-financial crisis levels, with this year's retirees expecting to [...]
Let’s get ready to referendum: Jean-Claude Juncker says there’ll be a deal for UK’s European Union reform demands by next month January 15, 2016 Jean-Claude Juncker has said he expects "a deal" that could resolve the UK's demands for reform of its European Union membership next month, opening the door to an in-out referendum in June. Juncker said on Friday that he was confident a solution would be reached at the European Council summit in Brussels, which is being held in [...]
UK property prices: Average cost of house has risen by 300 pc to over £680,000 in two decades – Savills January 15, 2016 The average house price in the UK has risen by 300 per cent and is now almost £200,000 higher than it was 20 years ago, according to upmarket estate agent Savills. The country's most expensive areas have seen an even steeper 538 per cent increase in the average house price from £108,032 to £689,649, found [...]
How major Tim Peake’s historic spacewalk can help the UK defeat our STEM skills gap January 15, 2016 What did you want to be when you were growing up? For many, the answer has its roots in science: a doctor, an astronaut, maybe even a palaeontologist. But something happens to our budding science enthusiasts as they get older. Numerous surveys have found that the vast majority of young people turn away from science and maths [...]
Tim Peake spacewalk: Watch live as the International Space Station resident becomes the first British astronaut to walk in space January 15, 2016 Astronaut Major Tim Peake will become the first British astronaut (rather than British person working as a US astronaut) to go on a spacewalk later this afternoon, as he ventures out to make vital repairs to the International Space Station (ISS) The first Briton to go on a spacewalk was Michael Foale in 1995 – but he was representing the [...]
UK Construction output suffered its biggest annual drop since 2013 adding to disappointing economic data January 15, 2016 Construction output suffered its biggest annual drop since 2013 in November, adding to a string of disappointing data which suggests the UK economy is struggling to recover from a mid-year slowdown. Construction output fell 0.5 per cent in the month to November, data from the Office for National Statistics has shown, missing economists' expectations for a [...]
Disappointing construction data sends pound down against the dollar January 15, 2016 The UK's builders did not have the opportunity to take advantage of the mild lead-up to Christmas, it turns out. Output in the sector showed far bigger drop than expected in November. Not surprisingly, the news sent sterling into a tailspin. Production fell 0.5 per cent in November, compared with the month before – against forecasts of [...]
Oh, BoJo: Emails reveal Mayor of London Boris Johnson to be a diplomatic nightmare on Iraq visit January 15, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson's trip to Iraq last year left the Foreign Office staff picking up a hotel bar tab, officials blocking his request for a visit to the front-line and Johnson driving a sports car out of a showroom, correspondence has revealed. The correspondence, released under freedom of information laws, show the difficulties officials [...]
Scottish National Party looks unstoppable as Holyrood elections loom, with poll predicting more than 30 per cent lead January 15, 2016 If it can keep the momentum going, the Scottish National Party is set to dominate at the Scottish parliamentary elections this summer, according to a new poll. The Survation poll indicates 52 per cent of Scots would vote for the SNP, while Labour languishes behind with just 21 per cent of support. Read more: Scottish National Party's lead [...]
Lumiere London 2016: Light festival illuminates the City’s landmarks from King’s Cross and Westminster to Leicester Square January 15, 2016 Some of London's most famous streets and buildings have been temporarily transformed by neons, projections and other light works, as part of the first major light festival to hit the capital. Lumiere London is a four-day festival featuring light installations that stretch from the West End all the way to King's Cross. It kicked off last night and will be running [...]