After a row over ministers’ freedom to back the No vote, is David Cameron bungling EU renegotiation? June 8, 2015 Tim Knox, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, says Yes Successful negotiation is based on clarity, conviction and consistency. Sadly, in our renegotiations with the EU, clarity is scarce. Are we talking about an optout from ever-closer union? Or is it just a matter of limiting welfare entitlements? So too is conviction. Who can [...]
Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey’s pay sinks to £8m June 8, 2015 Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey earned £7.9m last year, including a £1m salary, a £1.7m bonus and £424,000 in allowances and benefits, the company said today. The remuneration package of Bailey – who is notoriously shy of the financial media – was subject to a shareholder revolt at the company's annual general meeting last year, [...]
London mayor Boris Johnson calls on Cameron to drive through EU reform June 8, 2015 Boris Johnson has called on the Prime Minister to "roar on" in a "full-scale breakout" of EU reform, insisting that David Cameron has the momentum in Europe. The Mayor of London, who was elected as MP for Uxbridge in the General Election, said that Europe did not expect Cameron to win the election. This, he [...]
New Look launches £1.2bn bond issue to repay high interest Pik loans June 8, 2015 New Look is launching a bond issue totalling £1.2bn to restructure its debt and pay off its high-interest loans as it transitions to new owners. The group, which has recently been bought out by South African tycoon Christo Wiese, is issuing £1bn-worth of senior secured notes due in 2022 and £200m senior notes due [...]
EU referendum: 40pc increase in campaign budget limit angers Eurosceptics as Barack Obama again voices support for Yes vote June 8, 2015 David Cameron has angered Eurosceptics with plans to raise the campaign spending limits for the EU referendum by 40 per cent. According to The Times, he amount the “lead” organisation in each campaign will be permitted to spend will hit £7m, up from £5m, while the total for each campaign would be £35m, up from [...]
How long would it take you to earn WPP boss Martin Sorrell’s annual pay? June 8, 2015 The FTSE's best-paid boss will this week come face-to-face with shareholders over the size of his pay packet. Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief of advertising group WPP, is pocketing a hefty – and some may say excessive – £43m. It's a 44 per cent rise on how much he took home the previous year, and [...]
EU referendum: Is the UK the most Eurosceptic country in Europe and where can David Cameron find support for reform? June 8, 2015 The UK’s position in Europe is looking ever more tenuous, as the UK gears up for an EU referendum before the end of 2017. Greece is currently flirting with an exit and sentiment across the continent has been affected by the crisis, while the UK is famously divided on the issue. So is the UK [...]
David Cameron tells expenses watchdog to “think again” on MPs pay rise June 8, 2015 David Cameron has called on the MPs' expenses watchdog to "think again" on plans to increase MPs' pay by 10 per cent. The Prime Minister has insisted that Ipsa (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) should shelve its plans for the salary increase, saying that he does not think it is "the right approach". He said he [...]
Cameron sends more troops to Iraq to join counter-Isis efforts June 7, 2015 MORE BRITISH troops will be sent to Iraq in the coming weeks, Prime Minister David Cameron has said. Speaking at a meeting of the leaders of the G7 nations in Germany, Cameron said yesterday that he had authorised 125 additional UK personnel to join the efforts against Isis, also known as the Islamic State, in [...]
Virgin staff on parental leave get year’s pay up to 100 per cent of basic salary June 7, 2015 Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin will offer staff who take shared parental leave after the birth of their child up to a full year’s pay, under new policies announced today by the fitness-to-financial services giant. The government introduced new rights in April allowing parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of [...]