Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon and Leanne Wood to face BBC audience questions: Here’s what you need to know April 30, 2015 As the three main party leaders prepare to spar with the public ahead of tonight's leaders' Question Time special, some may be wondering how the leaders of the minor parties are planning to spend their evening. While the leaders of Ukip, SNP, and Plaid Cymru may not be involved in tonight's premier event, they will [...]
Ukip takes on the BBC over Camilla Long’s mockery of Nigel Farage on Have I Got News for You April 30, 2015 Ukip is embroiled in a fresh conflict with the BBC, after it asked the police to investigate the corporation over comments made during the satirical programme Have I Got News for You. The complaint was made last Friday in relation to comments made by guest panellist Camilla Long. The party claims her suggestions could hamper [...]
Sports Direct’s put options in Debenhams are starting to expire – but did Mike Ashley’s bet pay off? April 30, 2015 Sports Direct's put options are starting to expire. The question on everyone's lips is, did Mike Ashley's bet pay off? The retailer, which first took a punt on the struggling department store in 2014, has gradually increased its stake in Debenhams to 16.6 per cent back via a series of put options. A put gives [...]
Entrepreneur David Johnson is building an empire in the British Virgin Islands to rival Richard Branson’s Necker April 30, 2015 When Sir Richard Branson arrived in the British Virgin Islands, he was sufficiently smitten that he bought his own island, Necker. It’s easy to see why. This Caribbean tropical paradise enjoys a sunny season stretching to 10 months of the year, while gentle waves from a clear blue sea lap the BVI’s many sandy beaches. [...]
Sainsbury’s believes chief exec Mike Coupe’s travel fears are over after Egypt drama April 29, 2015 Sainsbury’s said last night it was confident that chief executive Mike Coupe no longer faced travel restrictions to countries with extradition treaties with Egypt after flying to the country this weekend to appeal against allegations of embezzlement. In a bizarre case dating back to Sainsbury’s disastrous foray into the country 16 years ago, Coupe [...]
Troubled Barclays braced for famously tough incoming new chairman John McFarlane April 29, 2015 It is hard to keep a straight face when calling PPI compensation and litigation costs “one-offs” at any of the big banks nowadays. Yet seven years on from the start of the financial crisis, Barclays and the other big banks are still treating the extraordinary costs as unusual items each quarter. Yesterday Barclays [...]
The flash crash trader Navinder Singh Sarao returns to London cell ahead of extradition fight April 29, 2015 The legal team of flash crash trader Navinder Singh Sarao is aiming to appoint a QC to work on his upcoming extradition case, a member of his legal team said at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Richard Egan, partner at Tuckers Solicitors, said yesterday that while a junior barrister is currently dealing with the case [...]
Bailout secured as masked men menace Yanis April 29, 2015 GREEK finance minister Yanis Varoufakis finally managed to secure a bailout this week – courtesy of his wife, Danae. The couple were dining in the Exarchia district – a neighbourhood popular with extreme leftists and anarchists – when a masked group stormed into the restaurant. As the group approached him in a threatening manner, his [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s EU mischief-making is a taste of the political blackmail to come April 29, 2015 Both Sinn Fein and the SNP launched their General Election manifestos last week, demanding that, in any future referendum, all four nations of the UK must agree to leave the European Union before it can happen. If ever there was a policy that claims to be about unity when it is all about fomenting division, [...]
David Cameron is right: We should balance the budget without tax hikes April 29, 2015 The Prime Minister pledged yesterday to introduce a law to prevent increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT for the whole of the next Parliament. While a law may be a crude tool, it does reinforce two crucial points. First, deficit reduction should come primarily from reductions in public spending rather than further tax [...]