William Hague reveals his five secrets to navigating PMQs – or tricky questions in any situation November 19, 2015 Having left the Commons, William Hague – Aka Baron Hague of Richmond – has ceased to give a damn. Speaking at the Westminster Property Association’s annual lunch today, the man with 40 years of speech-giving on his CV revealed how to navigate tricky questions in all situations. Hague reckons there’s only five answers you can give to [...]
Adele keeps 25 off streaming services following Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to become latest superstar to snub Spotify November 19, 2015 Adele has become the latest artist to keep her music off Spotify, announcing today that her upcoming album 25 won't be made available on any streaming services. The British singer had reportedly been pushing Spotify to release her hotly-anticipated album to paying Spotify Premium subscribers alone, a move which would limit the release to 20m [...]
Best London mobile phone network: EE beats O2, Three and Vodafone November 19, 2015 Looking for the best mobile phone network in London? EE has just been crowned number one for the sixth time running in Rootmetrics’ latest stress test of the capital. EE is far ahead of its competition when it comes to mobile networks for Londoners, according to the tests by independent mobile performance analytics firm Rootmetrics, [...]
George Osborne’s National Living Wage will make it harder to hire, say 77 per cent of UK’s small and medium-sized businesses November 19, 2015 More than two-thirds of small businesses in the UK say the introduction of the living wage will impact their ability to hire. Britain’s SMEs say they are already struggling to find staff, and 77 per cent fear the living wage will make it harder, according to research from job site Indeed. The National Living Wage [...]
Hundreds evacuated from Church Manorway, Erith in London as police impose exclusion zone around major gas leak November 19, 2015 At least 200 people have been evacuated from businesses around Erith, south east London, because of a major gas leak. Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers are dealing with the leak, which is coming from a high pressure main on Church Manorway in Erith, in the London Borough of Bexley. The London Fire Brigade is [...]
July Budget 2015 measures have boosted people’s incentive to work, despite proposals to cut in-work tax credits – Institute for Fiscal Studies November 19, 2015 Measures announced in the July Budget strengthened the incentive to work, despite the proposed in-work tax credits cuts, according to a study released today by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The report found that the complete package of changes, which included raising the personal allowance for income tax and introducing the National Living Wage, has [...]
What slowdown? JP Morgan says Asian companies like Tata and Nikkei will drive global M&A boom in the quest for long-term growth November 19, 2015 The good times look here to stay for the global M&A market, as 88 per cent of Asian companies say mergers and acquisitions are vital to their growth strategy, according to a market report from JP Morgan. Over the last 12 months, deal volumes in the Asia Pacific region have grown 61 per cent $1.05 [...]
EU cracking down on bitcoin after Paris attacks to stop terrorism funding November 19, 2015 EU ministers are hoping to tackle terrorism funding by cracking down on digital currencies like bitcoin, according to news agency Reuters. The news agency has seen a draft document from EU ministers calling on the European Commission to clamp down on anonymous online payments used to finance terrorist organisations. According to the document drafted ahead [...]
Saudi Arabia’s oil minister Ali al-Naimi calls for more investment in the oil industry November 19, 2015 Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, has warned investment in the oil industry must keep pace with forecasts for future demand to ensure the stability of the market. Speaking at an energy conference in the Bahraini capital Manama, Naimi said: "Demand for oil is continuing to rise". "To meet this growing need, there should be a continuation [...]
What’s going to happen to the economy in 2016? From persistently low oil prices to improved global growth, here are Goldman Sachs’ top 10 market themes November 19, 2015 Economists at Goldman Sachs have just released what they believe will be the 10 biggest economic themes of 2016. Here they are: 1. Global growth, more stable than it looks. The Goldman economists believe global growth is bottoming out this year at 3.2 per cent and expect it to accelerate to 3.6 per cent next year. [...]