Sports Direct buys Evans Cycles, but Mike Ashley to close 30 stores October 30, 2018 Evans Cycles has been sold to Sports Direct as part of a pre-pack administration. Around half of the cycling shop's 60 stores will be forced to close, Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley said as he announced the deal. Ashley commented: "We are pleased to have rescued the Evans Cycles brand. However, in order to save the [...]
IFS dismisses Budget ‘bonanza’, accusing Hammond of gambling the public finances October 30, 2018 Chancellor Philip Hammond gambled the public finances in yesterday's Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said today, claiming public services will still feel the squeeze despite Philip Hammond’s end of austerity claims. The IFS said Hammond had chosen to spend his fiscal windfall rather than save it, increasing NHS spending by around £20bn until 2023-24. [...]
Prime Minister rules out another general election after ‘giveaway’ Budget October 30, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond today ruled out another UK general election a day after revealing what has been dubbed a "giveaway" Budget. May told a press conference in Oslo: "No. We are not preparing for another general election. That would not be in the national interest." Being interviewed on Good Morning [...]
‘The Nothing of Tesla’: Elon Musk deletes his Tesla job titles after being stripped of chairmanship October 30, 2018 Tesla founder Elon Musk had deleted his job titles at the car giant just to “see what would happen”. The stunt, announced on Twitter, comes after Musk recently agreed to step down as chairman of the electric car manufacturer to prevent further action from a US regulator. He announced: “Deleted my Tesla titles last week to see what [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s green war on diesel cars finally hits home October 30, 2018 Sad news in my household: Moonie is not long for this world. The time is fast approaching when I must put her out of her misery, despite the fact that she seems pretty robust regardless of her ageing years. Like Boxer in “Animal Farm,” I will soon load her up into her metaphorical horse box, send [...]
US restricts Chinese chip maker from buying American parts October 30, 2018 The US is to curb American firms from exporting goods to a state-supported Chinese chip maker over national security concerns, in a move that is likely to exacerbate the brewing trade war tensions between Beijing and Washington, D.C. In a statement this morning the US Commerce Department said Chinese company Fujian Jinhua would not be [...]
DEBATE: As we head towards a cashless society, is there any point to a commemorative Brexit coin? October 30, 2018 As we head towards a cashless society, is there any point to a commemorative Brexit coin? Callum Price, events manager at the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. There is no doubt that we are heading towards an increasingly cashless society, but we are far away from the point at which we will no longer [...]
This Budget balancing act was Hammond’s mission impossible October 30, 2018 As he stood up to deliver his Autumn Budget yesterday, the chancellor was to fulfil two promises which the Prime Minister had made at the Conservative party conference earlier this month: end austerity, while still reducing public debt as a share of GDP. Fulfilling these pledges will take time, and more details will be unveiled [...]
Hammond shows how to ease austerity the Conservative way October 30, 2018 The Philip Hammond of a few years ago would have seen a few billion pounds courtesy of an unexpected windfall and promptly locked it away, like the chairman of the bank in Mary Poppins. But something has changed. Yesterday, Hammond was more Tigger than Eeyore. He announced a whopping £30bn of extra public spending by [...]
Fiscal Phil brings MPs sunshine, but only if they back him on Brexit October 29, 2018 Philip Hammond is a man more comfortable poring over spreadsheets than performing stand-up. He prefers an abacus to a microphone and an audience. But at times like these, when the staff need a morale boost, even the most bookish company finance director must come down to the shop floor to remind the workers just what [...]