Why a smart meter might help cut your bills October 1, 2013 Smart energy meters are expected to change the way consumers manage their energy use. Currently optional, but due to be rolled out nationally from autumn 2015, the devices provide live, detailed data on costs. “These developments are set to revolutionise energy usage,” says Stephen Passmore of the Energy Saving Trust. While the meters themselves do [...]
Restaurant review: Berners Tavern October 1, 2013 BERNERS TAVERN The London Edition Hotel, 10 Berners St Tel: 020 7908 7979 FOOD Two Stars VALUE Two Stars ATMOSPHERE Two Stars Cost for two with drinks: £110 Berners Tavern sounds like a nice little place, doesn’t it? Like a Somerset country inn that’s been converted to a gastropub by an ex-Londoner with a moustache [...]
Mix it up: You don’t have to be a supertaster to enjoy a cognac cocktail October 1, 2013 MAN is a social animal; so is woman for that matter. And it is through our interactions with others that we acquire our tastes, values and prejudices. Even the way we perceive the world is influenced by when and where we live. Take our perception of colour: seeing my five-year-old niece dressed – of her [...]
Osborne targets budget surplus September 30, 2013 GEORGE Osborne yesterday promised a future Conservative government would attempt to run a budget surplus by 2020, indicating that his party’s commitment to austerity is here to stay. The chancellor told his party’s annual conference in Manchester that, assuming the economic recovery continues, he would seek to ensure the government’s income is more than its [...]
Markets tumble as US budget deadline looms September 30, 2013 GLOBAL markets were in turmoil yesterday as the US government approached a shutdown, with politicians battling into the early hours to find a way to avoid running out of cash. If a deal on the emergency budget could not be reached by midnight US time – 5am in the UK – up to 1m federal [...]
Osborne freezes fuel duty until the 2015 election September 30, 2013 GEORGE Osborne yesterday vowed to freeze fuel duty for the next two years, ensuring the chancellor will go into the 2015 election without ever raising tax on petrol. In a surprise announcement, the chancellor told the Conservative party conference in Manchester that, providing other savings can be found, he will ensure motorists are untouched. “Conservatives [...]
Nice ideas, but chancellor’s plans are smudged by fine print September 30, 2013 FISCAL responsibility is back – or so the chancellor would like us to believe. While the Tories shamefully backed Gordon Brown’s irresponsible policy of running budget deficits during the boom years, they have learnt the lesson the bitter way. George Osborne is at pains to convince sceptics he wants not just to reduce the deficit [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 1 October 2013 September 30, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Weidmann in sovereign debt warning Jens Weidmann, president of the Bundesbank, has risked angering Europe’s crisis-hit governments by warning of the dangers posed by high levels of sovereign debt on banks’ balance sheets. He wrote: “The time is ripe to address the regulatory treatment of sovereign exposures.” US asset managers face extra scrutiny [...]
Farage supports Ukip backing of eurosceptic Conservative MPs September 30, 2013 NIGEL Farage yesterday said he would be happy for members of his Ukip party to campaign for eurosceptic Conservative MPs – but categorically ruled out any chance of a formal alliance with the upstart grouping. “There isn’t going to be a deal between us and the Conservative party at the next general election,” he told [...]
Mortgage lending hits 2008 levels even before Help to Buy extension September 30, 2013 THE HOUSING market had begun picking up steam even before the government rushed forward the next stage of its Help to Buy scheme, Bank of England figures showed yesterday. In August, when lenders still believed that the latest set of mortgage guarantees would not be available until January, the number of mortgages approved rose to [...]
