IFS say David Cameron’s inheritance tax cut would disproportionately benefit the wealthy April 12, 2015 The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has said the Conservatives' plan, if they win the General Election, to cut inheritance tax for homes worth up to £1m would disproportionately benefit the wealthy. George Osborne told the Andrew Marr show the Tory party supported "the basic human instinct to provide for your children." Under the current [...]
Here’s why David Cameron’s plan for three days’ paid volunteering is bad for business April 10, 2015 David Cameron's plan to offer workers three days' paid leave for volunteering has come under fire from the business world. The Prime Minister has pledged that if the Tories win the General Election up to 15m workers in the public and private sector will be able to take paid time off for volunteering. In the [...]
Eric Pickles car crash interview: Senior Tory struggles to explain Cameron’s paid volunteering scheme April 10, 2015 Communities secretary Eric Pickles suffered a bruising encounter on Radio 4's Today programme as he struggled to explain Tory plans to give workers three days' paid leave for volunteering. David Cameron pledged a future Conservative government will offer workers in the public sector and big private companies three days' paid leave for volunteering. Large companies [...]
IMF’s Christine Lagarde on the three big risks to the global economy April 9, 2015 Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, has said that the global economy risks slipping into a "new mediocre" which implies a prolonged period of low economic growth. "[The] global recovery continues, but it is moderate, and uneven," she said ahead of the release of the IMF's economic forecasts next week. The last forecasts released in [...]
Defiant Greek PM Alexis Tsipras cosies up to Russian President Vladimir Putin April 8, 2015 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras risked straining relations with his Eurozone partners even further yesterday after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to boost ties between the two countries. Dismissing European officials who questioned his intentions for the trip, Tsipras said: “Greece is a sovereign state – it has its undisputed right to a [...]
George Osborne finds magic money machine at Metro Bank April 8, 2015 George Osborne may have solved the British government’s huge annual deficit problem. He’s found a magic money machine! The chancellor was in Kingston yesterday, visiting a branch of Metro Bank in order to hail news that the challenger bank will employ 3,300 new staff, and aim to have a total of 150 branches by 2020. [...]
Election fatigue or just plain bored? Schoolgirl face-desks as David Cameron campaigns April 8, 2015 We've all been there. The guy next to you starts banging on about politics and suddenly you feel an overwhelming urge to rest your eyes, just for a second… and before you know it, you're being rudely waken up after the snores got that little bit too loud. And let's face it, who here [...]
Elon Musk’s Tesla unveils new “entry level” Model S 70D April 8, 2015 Tesla, the electric car maker with the cult following, has just unveiled its latest model: the "entry level" Model S 70D. At just over $75,000 (£50,000), it's hardly a snip – but at 514 hp, it's almost as powerful as a Porsche 911…. The company's shares rose 2.9 per cent to $209.25 in pre-market trading, [...]
Ken Livingstone lashes out at George Osborne at City University Q&A April 7, 2015 He could have gone for a Tommy Cooper classic or some variant on the knock, knock formula – but that just wouldn’t be Ken, would it? Students at City University have been chuckling away in recent days over a bizarre recording of former London mayor Ken Livingstone being asked to name his favourite joke. [...]
Mark Carney fears UK at risk from Greek contagion April 7, 2015 Britain’s banks and insurers could be in danger if Greece leaves the Eurozone, the Bank of England warned yesterday. The UK is not heavily exposed to Greece itself, but if it exits the single currency then it could cause financial panic in other indebted economies like Spain and Italy, which would then hit Britain hard. [...]