George Osborne puts his money on roadbuilding and reveals Stonehenge tunnel plans November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne will today unveil plans to build a tunnel under historic landmark Stonehenge, as he sets out how £15bn will be spent to overhaul British roads. The announcement marks the end of a long-running battle for a tunnel at the site, after plans were dropped seven years ago because of cost. Deputy prime [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne could pull a small rabbit out of the hat November 30, 2014 STAMP DUTY George Osborne could choose to reform stamp duty on Wednesday – a crowd-pleasing policy that wouldn’t have to hit Treasury coffers hard. The most likely option for the chancellor would be to change the slab-like structure of the tax by only charging a higher rate on the amount spent over each threshold, rather [...]
Ex-BP boss Lord John Browne gets a helping hand with Facebook from COO Sheryl Sandberg November 30, 2014 If you're going to get help with your new Facebook page, it doesn't get any better than having Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of the social network giving you a hand. That, of course, is unrealistic for most of us – but not Lord John Browne it seems. The former BP boss-turned-LGBT activist tweeted yesterday, [...]
Could Cameron’s pledge for tougher action on immigrant welfare push Britain to an EU exit? November 30, 2014 Alisdair McIntosh is director of Business for New Europe, says Yes. David Cameron is right to recognise the value of EU membership to the economy, but his policies raise concerns. Free movement of people is fundamental to the EU, and large-scale changes may prove impossible. Some of his proposals, like barring migrants from in-work benefits [...]
Boris Johnson suggests car-free Sundays for central London November 30, 2014 Car-free Sundays could become a fixture in central London, Boris Johnson suggested today after enjoying a cycle through a pedestrianised part of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. As part of a six-day regional tour through South-East Asia, the Mayor of London took part in a mass cycle with new Indonesian president Joko Widodo on Sunday. [...]
NHS: George Osborne to promise an extra £2bn of funding November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne is expected use his Autumn statement on Wednesday to announce an extra £2bn funding for frontline NHS services. It is anticipated that Osborne will pledge extra funding from April next year, according to the BBC. In a speech to parliament on Wednesday, when he will deliver exact details on its [...]
All eyes on Mario Draghi as Eurozone inflation slides to a five-year low 0.3 per cent for November November 28, 2014 Eurozone inflation slumped to a five-year low in October, turning up the heat on the European Central Bank to act in order to avoid a damaging deflationary spiral. The flash figure of 0.3 per cent for November was down from 0.4 per cent in October, Eurostat said. This was in line with economists' estimates according [...]
Airports call for George Osborne to scrap air passenger duty or risk losing jobs to Scotland November 27, 2014 Airports in the north of England have appealed to the chancellor to scrap air passenger duty (APD) in his Autumn Statement next week, following the announcement yesterday that Scotland will be free to get rid of the tax as part of devolution plans. Three key airports in the north have all made appeals to [...]
David Cameron: Let us block migrant benefits or we’ll leave EU November 27, 2014 David Cameron will today fire a warning shot over EU negotiations by revealing plans to dramatically tighten benefits allowances for immigrants from within the Union. The Prime Minister will toughen his stance by insisting that he is ready for Britain to leave the EU unless benefits for migrants can be severely restricted. His speech comes in [...]
Mario Draghi: Eurozone’s future at risk if prosperity does not spread November 27, 2014 Eurozone countries could start to consider leaving the currency union if prosperity does not spread across the area, European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi said yesterday. If countries such as Greece remain permanently less competitive than those like Finland, with higher unemployment and lower growth, “this threatens the essential cohesion of the union”, he said. Draghi [...]