London mayoral election 2016: Sadiq Khan campaign hits back at claims from Zac Goldsmith that Tooting MP has “divisive and radical politics’ December 7, 2015 The race to replace Boris Johnson as mayor of London heated up today as Labour hopeful Sadiq Khan hit back at criticisms from his Conservative rival, Zac Goldsmith. A member of Khan’s team accused Goldsmith of a “coded racist attack” after the MP for Richmond Park circulated a leaflet accusing Khan of “divisive and radical politics”. [...]
Storm Desmond’s floods could cost insurers between £175m and £250m, says PwC, highlighting the need for continued investment in flood defences and insurance mechanisms, such as Flood Re December 7, 2015 Audit giant PwC has pegged the estimated insurance costs of flooding caused by Storm Desmond at around £175m to £250m. Based on its analysis of the costs of the previous floods, the professional services firm also estimated today that the total economic costs would be £400m to £450m. Top figures at the firm also said that [...]
Sentix: Investors optimistic on Eurozone growth despite Draghi disappointment December 7, 2015 Investors are backing the Eurozone economy to pick up the pace over the next six months, according to new survey figures published today. The Sentix economic index for the Eurozone, compiled from a survey of over 1,000 investors, climbed 0.6 points to a score 15.7. The rise in sentiment on the Eurozone’s growth prospects comes despite investors [...]
EU referendum: European Council President Donald Tusk says Prime Minister David Cameron has made “good progress” with renegotiation December 7, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron has made "good progress" in his renegotiation efforts with the European Union, but there is there is "presently no consensus" on Cameron's controversial proposals to curb welfare for EU migrants, European Council President Donald Tusk said today. In a new letter sent to members of the European Council – the heads of state or government [...]
Mapped: Every skyscraper planning application in London December 7, 2015 Thanks to New London Architecture, we know London's about to become a veritable urban jungle, with 263 towers of 20 or more storeys either in planning or approved at the moment. The number of tall buildings under construction has increased to 70 in 2015, up from 45 last year. In fact, if all the new [...]
Digital health, wearables and apps: 9 in 10 Brazilian doctors use WhatsApp to talk to patients December 7, 2015 Do you get WhatsApp messages from your doctor? Almost certainly not if you’re reading this in the UK – but if you’re in Brazil it’ll be an everyday occurrence. Brazilian doctors are 40 times likelier than their British counterparts to use the social media platform to communicate with their patients. A new global study of [...]
Competition and Markets Authority flags concerns in North Sea oil and gas December 7, 2015 The UK's competition watchdog has written to the government flagging competition concerns in the UK's north sea oil and gas industry. The Competition Markets Authority said government plans to establish the Oil and Gas Authority as an independent regulator for the North Sea oil and gas market could facilitate information exchanges which would ultimately harm competition with the [...]
More proof the Help to Buy Isa is pointless for first-time buyers in London? December 7, 2015 The Help to Buy Isa is the government's latest wizard wheeze to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder: under the scheme, they receive a £50 government "bonus" for every £200 they spend. But the launch of the scheme, at the beginning of this month, hasn't gone down quite as well as you might expect. [...]
EU referendum: Labour and the Conservatives are at risk of looking as though they are adrift of many of their “natural” supporters December 7, 2015 Superficially, the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union is about whether Britain should remain in or leave an international organisation of which it has been a member for the last forty years. In practice, NatCen’s What UK Thinks: EU project has shown it is a ballot that promises to expose a significant internal [...]