David Cameron agrees to one TV debate featuring seven party leaders March 4, 2015 David Cameron has put his cards on the table and agreed to just one TV debate that would feature seven party leaders and last 90-minutes. Downing street said this was its final offer after the "chaos" of the negotiating process. Today at Prime Minister's Questions Labour leader Ed Miliband challenged the Prime Minister to take [...]
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg’s 5 best quotes from Mobile World Congress March 4, 2015 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has been answering audience questions at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. From issues surrounding free speech to what it takes for someone to get hired at Facebook Zuckerberg faced a mix of tough and softball questions. Here are the five best quotes from Zuckerberg's answers: 1. Answering what Facebook looks for [...]
Thousands of City jobs saved as UK wins battle with ECB over clearing houses March 4, 2015 The government has won an important legal challenge to a European Central Bank (ECB) decision, safeguarding thousands of jobs in clearing houses across the City of London. The EU General Court in Luxembourg ruled today that the ECB could not require clearing houses handling significant euro-denominated assets to be based in the Eurozone. “The ECB lacks [...]
Mike Ashley sidesteps MP grilling over USC redundancies March 4, 2015 Mike Ashley is sidestepping a meeting with Scottish MPs who want to grill him over the handling of USC's administration and his retail empire's use of zero-hour contracts. The Scottish Affairs Committee has called Ashley and other executives to appear before them as part of an investigation into how the high street chain collapsed, and [...]
UK sells off £750m stake in Eurostar in boost to George Osborne’s “long-term economic plan” March 3, 2015 The government is set to sell its stake in Eurostar for £757.1m as part of the coalition’s pledge to raise £20bn from asset sales by 2020. A consortium comprising Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and British fund Hermes Infrastructure will buy the UK’s 40 per cent stake in the rail [...]
Dave King claims a victory in Rangers war with Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley March 3, 2015 South African businessman Dave King yesterday claimed he had recorded a “landslide victory” in his bid to wrest control of Rangers’ boardroom. Rangers has been the subject of an ongoing tug-of-war between former club director King and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley. King – who owns 14.5 per cent of Rangers’ shares – has called [...]
Mario Draghi calling: Why the ECB’s QE may struggle to reach €1 trillion March 3, 2015 The European Central Bank’s (ECB) version of quantitative easing (QE), which was announced to much fanfare in January, involves the purchase of bonds from both institutions and individuals. ECB president Mario Draghi hopes that the proceeds of these sales will be used to buy other assets or to lend, thereby oiling the wheels of the [...]
Has Ukip just abandoned its immigration cap? Nigel Farage rejects “abitrary targets” March 3, 2015 Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said his party will reject "arbitrary targets" on immigration if it holds the balance of power ahead of a major speech on Wednesday. Farage reiterated Ukip's pledge to end what the party call Britain's "open borders" approach to immigration. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Farage said Ukip will [...]
Mike Ashley hit with £7,500 fine for dual interest March 3, 2015 Mike Ashley was facing a less-than-hefty-fine of £7,500 from the Scottish Football Association for holding a dual interest in Glasgow Rangers. Ashley, who is reportedly worth £3.3bn, was found guilty of influencing management at Rangers after the appointments of chief Derek Llambias and finance director Barry Leach, both of whom are long-term acquaintances of Ashley. [...]
Boris Johnson isn’t going to Cannes property bash Mipim this year March 3, 2015 Boris Johnson won't attend property knees-up Mipim this year, for the first time during his tenure as mayor of London. Boris has traditionally been a vocal proponent of London's many development opportunities at the conference, for which 20,000 developers, investors, agents and civil servants descend on Cannes for a week of deal-making and revelry each [...]