Cameron faces a hard sell at the European Council June 24, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron will face an uphill battle today as he makes his case for a renegotiation of the UK’s relationship with the European Union at a series of meetings in Brussels. Cameron is expected to seek support for his reforms over dinner tonight at the European Council, a two-day summit of heads of [...]
French minister Emmanuel Macron warns David Cameron over EU treaty change June 24, 2015 Ahead of a trip to discuss his key priorities for renegotiation with fellow leaders, David Cameron has received yet another warning, this time from the French economy minister Emmanuel Macron, who told him he cannot create an “à la carte” European Union. "I don't understand how it's possible to say 'we, the UK, want to [...]
Labour mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan wants to pedestrianise Oxford Street June 24, 2015 Sadiq Khan, a frontrunner for the Labour mayoral candidacy, has backed plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street as part of a campaign for cleaner air in the capital. He said he will turn the capital’s flagship shopping street and tourist attraction in to a one and a half mile tree-lined walkway, as he vowed to tackle [...]
Boris Johnson says Uber drivers must pass black cab style Knowledge test June 24, 2015 Fresh from his expletive-ridden verbal tussle with a cabbie, the Mayor of London has come out on the side of London's black cab drivers in their rivalry with Uber. Boris Johnson has promised Knowledge style tests and language requirements for Uber drivers who London's traditional taxi drivers believe should be better regulated. Speaking at the [...]
Neil Woodford-backed challenger Atom gets thumbs-up from regulators June 24, 2015 A mobile-based bank backed by City superstar investor Neil Woodford and launched by a founder of Metro Bank has been granted a banking licence, it said this morning. Durham-based Atom, launched by former Metro Bank chairman and First Direct chief executive Mark Mullen, will launch as a mobile app at first, with a desktop version [...]
Against the Grain: What Yanis Varoufakis can learn from a real game theory master – Nicola Sturgeon June 23, 2015 The gracious Palladian architecture of Edinburgh has often led the city to be described as the Athens of the North. If the referendum result had gone the other way, much closer parallels would have rapidly emerged. A high spending left wing government, faced with a collapse in revenues due to the fall in the oil [...]
Zac Goldsmith officially announces he will run to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London June 23, 2015 Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP, has officially announced he will run to become his party’s candidate for Mayor of London. The MP for Richmond Park held a consultation with his constituents, in which they could vote on whether he could run for the position, before making an official announcement. Some 79 per cent, or 15,802, [...]
Neil Woodford’s Patient Capital investment trust slapped with a “sell” rating by broker Stifel June 23, 2015 Neil Woodford's Patient Capital Trust has been slapped with a "sell" rating by broker Stifel Funds, which warned its share price has leapt ahead of its net asset value (NAV), or the trust's underlying value. Stifel analyst Iain Scouller said the trust's share price had jumped by 16 per cent since May, but just 4.3 per [...]
Tesco shareholders encouraged to revolt at AGM over Dave Lewis’ pay, Philip Clarke’s golden goodbye and John Allan’s appointment as chairman June 23, 2015 Tesco shareholders are being encouraged to stage a revolt at the supermarket's AGM on Friday, with investor group Pirc advising they vote against key resolutions. Chief executive Dave Lewis' pay could come under particular scrutiny if Pensions and Investment Research Consultants – one of the largest investor groups in the UK – gets its [...]
US Treasury secretary Jack Lew urges an agreement as Greek drama continues June 23, 2015 The United States has heaped on the pressure for a deal between Greece and its creditors with Jack Lew, the US treasury Secretary, holding phone calls with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to push for an agreement in a “delicate” situation. "The Prime Minister had a phone conversation with US Treasury secretary Jack Lew in [...]