Forget ‘just deserts’ and keep your nose out of other people’s pay November 27, 2018 Two decades ago, it was considered rude and crass in Britain to openly discuss wages and salaries. Now, everyone seems to have an opinion on how much others should earn. There has always the been broad lament about footballers’ wages being “ridiculous”, of course, or that nurses and teachers were “undervalued”. And after the financial [...]
May: UK will not get better offer if MPs vote down draft Brexit withdrawal agreement November 23, 2018 Theresa May has said the European Union will not “give us a better deal” if MPs vote down the draft withdrawal agreement she has negotiated. Asked what happens if MPs reject the agreement, she said “I think we end up back a square one” with “more uncertainty and more division”. “If we were to go [...]
How Brexit could help mortgage prisoners break free November 22, 2018 In the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, lenders were dishing out large mortgages and asking for tiny deposits in return. Property values were rapidly outpacing wage growth, and buyers were being allowed to borrow eight times their annual salary. For many homeowners, the problems started after the crash when the regulators forced [...]
Amber Rudd: MPs will block a no-deal Brexit and back Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement November 21, 2018 Amber Rudd, the new work and pensions secretary, has appeared to rule out a no-deal Brexit on the basis that the House of Commons will vote through the draft withdrawal agreement put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former home secretary said the house would stop a [...]
Facebook donates £4.5m to fund local journalists in the UK in fight against fake news November 19, 2018 Facebook will donate £4.5m to support roughly 80 trainee journalists in newsrooms across the UK in a bid to plug the gap caused by the decline of local media. The social media firm said it has partnered with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and a range of British publishers to help [...]
After last week’s evictions, what next for Big Brother: Brexit edition? November 19, 2018 How could they do it? After 18 years on UK television, Channel 5 has waved goodbye to hit show Big Brother. But fear not, the fun format has been reborn. And it’s no mere house this time, it’s a palace – the Palace of Westminster. If the pilot is anything to go by, this one [...]
Editor’s Notes: Nobody has a clue what’s going to happen November 16, 2018 Westminster has entered a period of chaos, marked by the usual signs of political turmoil: marquees outside parliament for camera crews, protesters desperately trying to get in shot and MPs from all sides of the debate milling around trying to get on the air. In the City, frantic movements in sterling and a sizeable hit [...]
Market jitters post-Carillion collapse hit Interserve shares November 14, 2018 Market jitters over the stability of outsourcing firms following the high-profile collapse of Carillion sent Interserve’s share price plummeting this week. The company’s share price was volatile today after falling to the lowest level in more than 30 years on Monday following a statement from joint venture partner Renewi which revealed that Interserve had experienced [...]
A virtual reality education company is listing on Aim today for £19.3m October 29, 2018 Virtual reality may soon hit the classroom, as a company called VR Education (VRE) listed on London's junior market today for a market value of £19.3m. VRE, which has raised £6m through the initial public offering (IPO), focuses on using virtual reality to improve digital learning and corporate training. The money raised in the float [...]
Killing Eve: A cautionary tale on privacy October 29, 2018 Villanelle: “What’s your pin?” Eve Polastri: “1…2…3…4” How many of us could relate to this scene in the popular BBC series Killing Eve? Whether it’s 1,2,3,4, a date of birth, or an easily guessable passphrase – our cavalier attitude to passwords is well-documented. The fact that an MI6 officer (albeit a fictitious one) had such [...]