EU referendum: Liam Fox tells David Cameron to let ministers campaign for Brexit December 20, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is facing fresh divisions in the Conservative party over the EU referendum, as more senior MPs call for a "free vote" for Cabinet ministers. Earlier today, former defence secretary Liam Fox called for ministers to have the freedom to take sides in the EU referendum debate, even if they disagree with the [...]
UK house prices: Home ownership is a distant dream even for middle England December 20, 2015 Almost half of people who don't own their own home believe they never will as the time needed to save for a deposit hits an astonishing 24 years. Even a quarter of the richest of non-home owners think they will never get a foot on the first rung of the property ladder, new research reveals. "Low to middle [...]
Spanish elections: Voter turnout rebounds in the afternoon December 20, 2015 Spanish voter turnout recovered in the afternoon, taking total voter numbers above 2011 levels. Of those eligible to vote, 58.3 per cent had hit the voting booth by 6pm, Spain's interior ministry said today. It marks a rise from 58.6 per cent in 2011. Turnout had risen strongly in the north and east of Spain compared [...]
Air France bomb scare “false alarm” after flight AF 463 from Mauritius to Paris makes emergency landing in Kenya December 20, 2015 An Air France flight forced to make an emergency landing in Kenya after a suspicious item was found was a false alarm, said the airline's chief executive Frederic Gagey. The Boeing 777 from Mauritius to Paris was diverted to Moi International Airport in Mombasa where 459 passengers and 11 cabin crew were safely evacuated from the plane. [...]
Winter sun put on ice for holidaymakers as December is named as the month with the longest flight delays December 20, 2015 Those hoping for a little bit of winter sunshine might find themselves basking in the glow of the airport's Pret a Manger for longer than they'd bargained for, as research out today has found that December is the worst month for long flight delays. A study by Which? discovered that 3.5m passenger flights were delayed by [...]
More public sector bosses will have to return their golden goodbye bonuses under clawback rules December 20, 2015 More highly paid public sector workers who leave their job with a generous golden goodbye, only to return to another public organisation soon after, will have to return the payout as the government cracks down on so-called boomerang bosses. Clawback laws introduced earlier this year will be expanded and the threshold for those the law applies to will be [...]
Mobile phone fines for drivers will soon increase under new government plans December 20, 2015 Drivers breaking the law by using their mobile phones behind the wheel will soon be hit with more severe penalties if new proposals get the go ahead. The current fine for using a phone while driving would increase from £100 to £150 and drivers would lose an additional point from their licence taking the total penalty points to [...]
Countdown to Christmas: From Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and Ed Ball’s surprise defeat at the General Election to the Paris terror attacks, these are the most surprising news stories of 2015 December 20, 2015 Some news you register with perhaps a shrug of the shoulder, while other stories might prompt an arched eyebrow. There are some events, however, that make you sit up and pay attention. This year was not without a few of those key moments – good and bad – that gripped us. Here are the most [...]
Why director JJ Abrams initially turned down Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens December 19, 2015 Talk about a bold career move. When JJ Abrams was offered the opportunity to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he initially turned it down to avoid becoming “the guy who does sequels”. The film, is already slated to become the UK’s highest-grossing film just two days after its release, but Abrams nearly missed out [...]
Research shows Women in the City expect to earn smaller bonus than male counterparts – Astbury Marsden December 19, 2015 Christmas bonus season is upon us, but sorry ladies, we’ve got bad news for women hoping to get a large bonus in this year’s stocking. Women in the City are expecting to take home far less than their male counterparts, not just in absolute numbers, but also as a proportion of their salary. While men [...]