July Budget 2015: George Osborne set to push up tax thresholds but ease back on Conservative plans to slash welfare bill July 7, 2015 George Osborne will today use the first Tory Budget in 19 years to deliver on his party’s pre-election pledge to slash taxes for millions of workers. Yet the chancellor will also row back on the Conservatives’ manifesto commitment to find £12bn of savings from welfare payments by 2017-18 – instead taking an extra year to [...]
TfL Tube strike 2015 is on: Expect travel chaos from 6.30pm today and all day Thursday July 7, 2015 Millions of commuters will face travel misery today after last-ditch efforts to resolve a dispute over London Underground worker’s pay and hours failed to stop strike plans. Transport for London’s (TfL) latest offer was turned down by unions late yesterday, paving the way for industrial action that will stop tube services tonight and all [...]
Summer budget 2015: What to watch out for July 7, 2015 WHO: GEORGE OSBORNE WHEN: 12.30PM TODAY WHERE: HOUSE OF COMMONS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW Extended Sunday shop hours The chancellor will unveil plans to devolve powers to mayors or councils to decide for themselves what the rule over trading hours should be in their areas, paving the way for shops and supermarkets to stay open later on [...]
David Cameron backs transitional price cap as part of energy market shake-up after CMA report July 7, 2015 David Cameron said yesterday that he supported plans for a “transitional” energy price cap. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has called for changes to be made to companies’ standard variable, or default, tariff – the tariff that energy customers pay if they have not made an “active decision” to change. The CMA said [...]
Shanghai stocks suspended amid crash fear July 7, 2015 Chinese stocks fell yesterday, taking little comfort from support measures from Beijing in recent days. Almost 200 stocks halted trading after the close on Monday, bringing the number of suspensions to 745, or 26 per cent of listed firms on mainland exchanges in areas such as Shanghai (pictured). Investors are increasingly worried about a full-blown [...]
London mourns a dark day in our history July 7, 2015 London came together in ceremonies and moments of silence yesterday as the city remembered the victims of the 7 July bombings in 2005. Prime Minister David Cameron laid a wreath in Hyde Park and later attended a service along with mayor Boris Johnson and former PM Tony Blair.
Red tape to blame for City skills shortage: Demand for professionals stays strong but supply hampered by UK immigration rules July 7, 2015 Tough immigration rules and excessive regulatory standards has left City firms with severe skills shortages, according to new surveys. Growth in the number of jobs secured dropped to a two-year low in June, data released today by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation revealed. Demand for professional workers – which covers finance, law and IT among [...]
Netflix’s first blockbuster is a beast July 7, 2015 New media giant Netflix said last night its first original movie, Beasts of No Nation starring Golden Globe winner Idris Elba, will be released to subscribers on 16 October on its popular video streaming service, but also in selected US theatres.
McBride relies on strong German market as UK performance flags July 7, 2015 PRIVATE label product supplier McBride said yesterday continued strong growth in Germany helped to offset a weaker performance in the UK and other key continental European markets during the year to 30 June. The company said revenues for the 12 months were up by 0.3 per cent compared to last year. Operating profit for the [...]
Lionesses get a roar from big TV audience July 7, 2015 THE FIFA Women’s World Cup, which saw England face heartache against Japan (above) before they beat Germany to finish third, reached 12.6m viewers, more than double the viewers of the Euro 2013 competition. The Lionesses’ semi-final and play-off were both watched by an average of 1.6m viewers.