FCA boss Martin Wheatley is right to say sorry at last – Editor’s Letter January 27, 2015 Martin Wheatley evokes a lot of hostility, rather than respect, from many of the senior figures in the London’s financial community. A few months ago one chief executive pulled me aside and blamed the City’s top regulator for costing London the flotation of Alibaba, the giant Chinese internet group. Wheatley’s crime, I was told, was [...]
Boris Johnson moves closer to plans for Old Oak Common Crossrail and HS2 superhub January 27, 2015 Plans to turn a rundown industrial area in west London into a thriving new district with up to 24,000 homes moved a step closer yesterday after the government gave the go-ahead to create an Olympic-style development body for the scheme. Eric Pickles, the communities and local government secretary approved the creation of the Old Oak [...]
Boris Johnson gives revised Crossrail for Bikes the green light – now it’s just up to Transport for London January 27, 2015 A revised version of the heavily anticipated 'Crossrail for Bikes' has been given the green-light by London mayor Boris Johnson, as part of a £913m policy to get more Londoners cycling. The latest version of the plans for Europe's longest “substantially segregated” cycle path, which cut delays by 60 per cent on the route previously [...]
Mike Ashley loans Rangers £10m which will be used to pay back loans from… Mike Ashley January 27, 2015 Rangers have agreed to take a £10m loan from Mike Ashley, which has been secured against the club's Murray Park training ground and registered trademarks. Ashley, who also owns Newcastle United, will take control of 26 per cent of the club's retail business as a result. The founder of Sports Direct has a 8.9 per [...]
With public borrowing still high, is David Cameron right to renew his pledge of £7bn in tax cuts? January 26, 2015 John Longworth, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, says Yes The Prime Minister is absolutely right to go into the General Election campaign with a plan to cut taxes – even in the face of continued public spending restraint and necessary belt tightening. Lower personal taxes can be a fillip to businesses, who [...]
Greece elections 2015: How David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Paul Krugman and other world leaders and economists reacted to Syriza victory January 26, 2015 The impact and significance of Syriza's victory in the Greek election is already making its mark on Europe and the rest of the world. Syriza, a leftist anti-austerity party, wants to renegotiate Greece's debt to its three creditors (the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund), which currently stands at around [...]
David Cameron unveils tax cut pledge January 26, 2015 Is this the beginning of the end of Austerity Britain? The Prime Minister has unveiled plans to cut taxes for the lowest earners, saying there is an "economic, moral and practical" case for lowering taxes. At a speech in Eastleigh, David Cameron unveiled plans to raise the annual personal allowance to £12,500, saying "I think [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron makes the ethical case for lower taxes January 26, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron will today look to distance his party from Labour and the Liberal Democrats setting out an ideological case for tax cuts. Cameron will say he believes in lower taxes “because I trust people more than I do politicians”. He will add: “I think people know how to spend their money better [...]
Mike Ashley weighs up bid for Evans Cycles January 26, 2015 SPORTS Direct founder Mike Ashley is looking to expand his retail empire after joining several suitors in considering a bid for Evans Cycles. Private equity group Active Capital hired Canaccord Genuity last year to find a buyer for the cycling specialist, which has 56 stores and employs around 1,200 people. Sports Direct is understood to [...]
Video: French President François Hollande at Davos January 23, 2015 In the wake of the three days of terrorist attacks in Paris, President François Hollande's approval rating has risen – but his next challenge will be to keep France's economic growth – currently predicted by the European Commission to stop at an anaemic 0.7 per cent in 2015 – on track in the face of [...]