Britain’s tax bill at its highest since 1955 in comparison to earnings May 30, 2019 Tory heavyweights have taken aim at high taxes in the UK to mark what a think tank has dubbed Tax Freedom Day, a measure of when Brits stop paying tax and start pocketing their earnings. The Adam Smith Institute has estimated that every penny the average person earned for working up to and including 29 [...]
Penny Mordaunt poised to join Conservative leadership contest May 29, 2019 Defence secretary Penny Mordaunt is poised to join the increasingly crowded field of candidates seeking to succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister. In article for the Conservative Home website, set to be published at 9am on Thursday, Mordaunt warns the upcoming leadership contest must not descend into “a fight against competing factions” as she urges [...]
FTSE 100 and US stock markets drop as Chinese trade war concerns weigh on investors May 29, 2019 The FTSE 100 fell 1.2 per cent today amid signs of an escalation in the China-US trade war along with growing concerns over a no-deal Brexit. All 10 blue-chip indices were in the red after China warned Beijing was ready to use its control over rare earths to his back at the US in their [...]
Johnson’s allies leap to his side after Tory leadership candidate ordered to appear in court over £350m EU claim May 29, 2019 Boris Johnson’s allies have slammed a decision to summon him to court over claims he lied during the run-up to the Brexit referendum, calling them “politically motivated”. Read more: The next Tory leader is doomed before they have even started The flamboyant Tory leadership candidate, seen by many as the front runner to be the [...]
Theresa May calls for return of maintenance grants for poorer students May 29, 2019 Theresa May will call for the reintroduction of maintenance grants for university students from poorer backgrounds on Thursday. The outgoing Prime Minister is backing a recommendation made by an independent review of further education, which calls for handouts of at least £3,000 for those from poorer backgrounds. Maintenance grants were axed in 2015 by then-chancellor George [...]
Huawei is an ‘instrument of the Chinese government’, Pompeo warns May 29, 2019 US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has launched a fresh attack on Huawei, accusing the Chinese firm of taking orders from Beijing. “Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government,” Pompeo told Fox Business Network. “They’re deeply connected. It’s something that’s hard for Americans to understand.” Read more: Softbank names Nokia as 5G supplier in [...]
Boris Johnson to face court over claims he lied in Brexit referendum campaign May 29, 2019 Boris Johnson's defence team has slammed a decision to summon him to court over claims he made in the run up to 2016's EU referendum. Johnson will appear at Crown Court to answer accusations of misconduct while in public office over his comments during the referendum that the UK sent the EU £350m per week, a [...]
Oil prices fall two per cent on fears of escalating US-China trade war May 29, 2019 Oil prices fell this morning, losing around two per cent of their value and dipping below the $70 per barrel line as worries over the US-China trade war spooked investors. International standard Brent Crude dropped around two per cent to $68.74 at just before midday after reaching day-lows of $68.47 per cent earlier. Read more: [...]
Libor broker banned by regulator for dishonest trades May 29, 2019 A broker who was acquitted of helping jailed former UBS trader Tom Hayes rig the Libor benchmark has today been banned by the regulator for dishonesty. Terry Farr, who was formerly a manager on the Japanese Yen desk at brokerage Martins, has been banned by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from regulated financial activity. Read [...]
Matt Hancock breaks Tory clean campaign pledge with broadside against Boris Johnson May 29, 2019 Health secretary and Tory leadership candidate Matt Hancock has gone against a “clean campaign pledge”, lashing out in an interview with the Financial Times at Boris Johnson and his past anti-business comments. Read more: Sajid Javid declares bid to run for Tory leader Addressing Johnson’s alleged and much-criticised remark, reportedly made in June 2018, Hancock said: [...]