Builders blame slow planning for homes crisis September 21, 2015 SKILLS shortages, sluggish planning approvals and local opposition are hindering the UK’s builders and exacerbating the country’s housing supply crisis, new research reveals. To revive Britain’s home building, planning experts have today called for a new national approach to housing policy as a “matter of urgency”. In a survey of construction firms, slow planning was [...]
MegaBrew deal may not go down easy as hurdles remain September 21, 2015 AS THE AB InBev takeover of SABMiller grows nearer, speculation on the terms and tie-ups grows with it. There were reports that Altria, the largest stakeholder in SAB Miller with 26.6 per cent, was signalling its willingness to sell to AB InBev, by appointing Credit Suisse as finance adviser, separately to the three SABMiller has [...]
Clegg returns to the centre stage with pro-EU role September 21, 2015 FORMER deputy prime minister Nick Clegg will step back into the spotlight today when he addresses the Liberal Democrat conference as part of the party’s EU referendum campaign. Clegg stepped down as leader of the Liberal Democrats in May following the party’s devastating defeat in the General Election, which saw the Lib Dems lose 49 [...]
Osborne: Chinese firms back £2bn deal for new plant at Hinkley Point September 21, 2015 CHANCELLOR George Osborne has today announced a £2bn deal in support of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The Treasury said that the deal would “pave the way for a final investment decision by energy company EDF, supported by China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation, later this year”, [...]
Labour MPs could go against Corbyn and back Syria strikes September 21, 2015 The Labour party could back Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposals to launch airstrikes in Syria, despite staunch opposition from the party’s new leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn said yesterday that Labour would only make a decision on whether to support strikes after Cameron sets out his proposals. Benn told the BBC: “What [...]
France’s Macron has work cut out after downgrade September 21, 2015 FRENCH economy minister Emmanuel Macron will face a bigger challenge than expected this week when he attempts to persuade British investors to back France after the country’s credit rating was downgraded by Moody’s. Macron is holding an exclusive seminar entitled “Why invest in France” on Thursday before delivering a speech at the London School of [...]
There really is “no money left” at the Treasury’s canteens September 20, 2015 When former Treasury secretary Liam Byrne left his successors a note in 2010 saying there was “no money left”, he may have had a point. Byrne’s note was criticised at the time for being a joke in poor taste, and he admitted this year it may have hindered the Labour party’s performance in the [...]
Cadbury’s gorilla advert featuring Phil Collins hit crowned UK’s favourite September 20, 2015 The famous Cadbury’s ad featuring a gorilla drumming to Phil Collins’ 80s hit In The Air Tonight has been voted the nation’s favourite TV ad of all time, according to a recent poll. The advert, which first aired in 2007, marked a departure from traditional TV campaigns for the company. Since its release [...]
Final payout from Icelandic banks falls short September 20, 2015 THE British and Dutch governments stand to lose as much as 533bn krona (£2.7bn) in a final deal with Icelandic banks, after they were forced to step in and reimburse investors in 2008. In a settlement with Iceland’s Depositors and Investors Guarantee Fund (TIF), British and Dutch authorities will receive 20bn Icelandic krona (£100m), which [...]
HMRC’s tax probes drag on says law firm RPC September 20, 2015 HMRC takes over a year to wrap up almost a quarter of the 115,000 local tax compliance investigations open at any one time, a City law firm has said. Lawyers RPC today released figures showing that HMRC’s local compliance unit had more than 115,000 investigations ongoing against individual taxpayers and businesses as of March [...]