Ditch the structural deficit: Why Osborne has struggled to hit this moving target November 24, 2014 FALL-OUT from the Autumn Statement next week is likely to focus heavily on the slowdown in deficit reduction. Borrowing has been £3.7bn higher this year so far compared with last, and it looks unlikely that George Osborne will hit his fiscal target for 2014-15. But the key number the media will focus on is the [...]
What to expect from the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill: Theresa May warns of terror threat November 24, 2014 The UK faces its biggest terrorism threat since any time before or since 9/11, as the Islamic State (IS) inflames home-grown extremism, home secretary Theresa May has warned. In a speech at a counter terrorism event in London, May also revealed a new counter-terrorism bill is set to be revealed to Parliament on Wednesday. But [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: What free marketeers want from George Osborne and what they’re likely to get November 24, 2014 With the Autumn Statement just a week away, George Osborne is already being inundated with suggestions on how to boost growth and cut the deficit. The CBI has already weighed in with its suggestions, including raising the threshold for employee National Insurance Contributions and cutting business rates. Britain's unemployment rate may have dropped like a [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: This is what the CBI wants George Osborne to deliver November 24, 2014 What will George Osborne get out of his red box when he delivers the Autumn Statement next week? The CBI got off the starting block early with its wishlist, asking for a range of measures to boost British business, including better infrastructure around Stonehenge and business rates reform. Here's what the group businesses wants to [...]
Cameron counters Ukip with two year benefit ban for EU migrants November 23, 2014 David Cameron is understood to be working on a speech in which he will announce a two-year benefit ban for EU migrants in a bid to counter the threat posed by Ukip. The Prime Minister is also said to be considering a ban on unemployment benefits for EU migrant workers, following a ruling in Germany [...]
Wembley Park Tube station closed as England plays Germany: Did Boris and the FA drop the ball on the biggest day yet for women’s football? November 23, 2014 On 3 August this year, the England women’s football team stormed to victory against Sweden by four goals to nil in a friendly international match. The joyous celebrations didn’t take place on the hallowed turf of Wembley though, as would have been the case for their male peers, but up in the far-flung reaches of [...]
As public borrowing remains high, is Osborne’s failure to tackle the deficit a cause for concern? November 23, 2014 David Kern is chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, says Yes. October’s public finance figures have provided further evidence that the government’s plan to reduce Britain’s deficit in the current financial year is unlikely to be realised. It’s a major concern that the deficit has remained unsustainably large since the crisis, and progress [...]
Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer Elizabeth Emanuel talks Catch-22s and Richard Branson November 23, 2014 You'd be hard pressed to get one up on Elizabeth Emanuel when it comes to heydays – and the fashion designer hasn’t just had one. At the age of 28, she designed the wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer – a day she wouldn’t trade for the world, she says. And ten years later, [...]
Interactive: Theresa May says the Conservatives may miss their immigration targets, but how high is UK immigration? November 23, 2014 The home secretary Theresa May has all but admitted that the government will be unable to meet its target of limiting immigration to the tens of thousands in time for next year’s general election. What is more, David Cameron is expected to announce bans on benefits for UK migrants, despite the data showing immigrants are [...]
Cameron plans to ban EU migrant benefits following Mark Reckless win for Ukip at Rochester and Strood November 23, 2014 David Cameron will announce plans to ban benefits for some EU migrants this week, as he takes a tougher stance on Europe and tries to ward off the political threat posed by the UK Independence Party (Ukip). A report being published tomorrow by think tank Open Europe reveals that the Prime Minister is working [...]