Boris Johnson accepts £14000 Saudi Arabia trip weeks before journalist’s murder October 31, 2018 Former foreign minister Boris Johnson accepted a free trip worth £14,000 from the government of Saudi Arabia two weeks before the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The cost of the three day trip to Jeddah, including travel, food and accommodation, was covered by the Saudi government according to a register of MP’s income. The [...]
Panasonic earnings down as surging Tesla battery costs hurt profit October 31, 2018 Panasonic suffered a 15 per cent profit dip in the second quarter thanks to its investment in Tesla's battery business, the Japanese firm revealed today. The technology giant's disappointing profit yield saw it take ¥95.2bn ($840.9m) between July and September, down on the 112.7bn yen it took for the same period a year ago. The company blamed [...]
Business leaders prepare to meet with Prime Minister and chancellor to discuss Brexit October 31, 2018 Business bosses are set to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond this afternoon amid rising concerns about the nature of Britain’s exit from the EU. Around 130 executives are set to attend this afternoon's meeting as businesses prepare to grill the pair about Brexit and Budget issues. “It’s part of regular [...]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg invited again to appear before MPs investigating fake news October 31, 2018 Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has been summoned to a special meeting of UK and Canadian MPs to give evidence about ‘fake news’. Conservative MP Damian Collins, chair of parliament’s digital, culture, media and sport committee, has joined forces with his Canadian equivalent, Bob Zimmer, to propose a one-off hearing on 27 November. The social media billionaire [...]
Central London house prices set for sharp upturn on Brexit deal October 31, 2018 Central London’s waning high-end property market could be set for a resurgence over the next five years, with a new report forecasting that prime house prices could rocket by more than 15 per cent if an expected bounce in confidence returns to the capital. Despite stamp duty changes and political volatility causing a slowdown in [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget contained tricks and treats for your personal finances October 31, 2018 The move of this year’s Autumn Budget to Monday this week rather than its traditional Wednesday slot was ostensibly to give MPs more time to debate the chancellor’s proposals before the House of Commons rises for recess on 6 November. But presumably Philip Hammond also hoped to avoid some Halloween-themed headlines, which he himself alluded to [...]
Hammond’s digital services tax puts UK competitiveness at risk October 31, 2018 The government has long been scratching its head for ways to address the current tax treatment of global tech platforms. Our tax code – all 10m words of it – has been struggling to keep up and adapt to a new economy that is being driven by technology, innovation, and digitalisation. On Monday, Philip Hammond [...]
This Budget was a masterclass in dishonesty and manipulation October 31, 2018 So what was it? A cautious Budget? An astute Budget? A get-me-through-the-day Budget? Did you feel the earth move – or the need to change your financial affairs, for better or worse? Was there more than a zzzzz from the markets? It certainly was not the tax reform Budget that our economy desperately needs to put [...]
Hammond has taken the first tentative steps towards fixing the housing crisis October 31, 2018 How do you solve the housing crisis in a single Budget? You can’t, of course – not with Brexit looming and a Prime Minister demanding that you both signal the end of austerity and reduce the UK’s national debt at the same time. But housing policy is the one single issue that personally and radically [...]
Facebook hit by user drop as European growth falls for a second quarter October 30, 2018 Social media giant Facebook failed to live up to estimates for monthly user growth in its third quarter, as growth remained flat in North America but fell across Europe for the second consecutive quarter in the wake of massive data breaches and tightened regulations. Despite this, its profits outperformed expectations, the firm said tonight. Shares [...]