David Cameron to reveal devolved powers for Scotland January 22, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron will reveal draft legislation outlining devolved powers for Scotland today. He will also meet Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh to discuss enacting the plans. The “command paper” is believed to contain 44 new clauses across 100 pages. In the run-up to last year’s Scottish independence referendum, [...]
David Cameron and Ed Miliband clash as UK unemployment hits a six-year low January 21, 2015 Unemployment has dropped to its lowest rate since 2008 according to official figures, which also show pay continuing to beat inflation. The jobless rate dropped to 5.8 per cent in the three months to November, according to data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics. Pay including bonuses rose 1.7 per cent [...]
Tax competition is good for Europe: Don’t let Jean-Claude Juncker muddy the waters January 21, 2015 At the end of last week, the European Commission disclosed a preliminary finding that Amazon’s tax arrangements in Luxembourg could have constituted “state aid”. While Amazon has said that it had received no special treatment, this is not good news for the Duchy’s former Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, now president of the Commission. Yet the [...]
Britain needs an Elon Musk to revolutionise its creaking internet January 21, 2015 Cheap smartphones, discount clothing stores, budget airlines: capitalism may not be perfect, but it excels at making things once considered luxuries affordable. Rocketry startup SpaceX announced yesterday that it plans to do the same for broadband in the developing world. It’s raised $1bn (£660m) from Google and Fidelity, and plans to fill the sky with [...]
London mayor Boris Johnson agrees to pay his “outrageous” US tax bill January 21, 2015 Boris Johnson has finally coughed up for his US tax bill, despite previously refusing to meet the "absolutely outrageous" demand, and in turn risking a hefty fine or even a jail spell. Johnson, who was born in New York and holds an American passport, decided to pay up ahead of a visit to Boston, Washington [...]
ECB “mulling QE of €50bn a month” January 21, 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) is said to be planning a quantitative easing (QE) programme of at least €50bn until the end of 2016, according to the Wall Street Journal. This would put the total amount of bond purchases to around €600bn a year, surpassing the market's current expectation for a programme of around €500bn. However, ECB policymakers will discuss [...]
State of the Union: Barack Obama’s populist tax hikes will hit US investment January 21, 2015 In his State of the Union Address, President Obama proposed raising the top tax rate on capital gains and dividends to 28 per cent from the current rate of 24 per cent. This is up from 15 per cent when Obama took office. Part of the increase came from a 3.8 per cent tax on [...]
Nicola Sturgeon says SNP is ready to vote on English only laws January 21, 2015 Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon has said her party's MPs will vote on English only health matters. SNP parliamentarians have traditionally abstained from voting on English only issues as English MPs have no vote over a wide-range of Scottish policy decisions. Speaking to the BBC's Nick Robinson, Sturgeon said: We would be [...]
Sports Direct share price tumbles after Mike Ashley sells three per cent stake January 21, 2015 Sports Direct shares have fallen over five per cent in this morning's trading after Goldman Sachs revealed yesterday that it was selling a 2.57 per cent stake on behalf of company founder Mike Ashley. Ashley’s holding in the UK’s biggest sports retailer has been cut down to 55 per cent following the placing of 15.4m [...]
Barack Obama’s State of the Union address: “The shadow of crisis has passed” January 21, 2015 It was a triumphant moment for Barack Obama last night, when he stood up to tell his country "the shadow of crisis has passed". His closely-watched State of the Union address followed months of strong growth in the US economy – in stark contrast to its neighbours across the Atlantic. In a speech firmly designed [...]