Sir Malcolm Rifkind battling to keep Intelligence and Security Committee role February 23, 2015 Update: Sir Malcolm Rifkind has now resigned. To read that story, go here. Sir Malcolm Rifkind is battling to hold on to his key parliamentary committee role, having had the Tory whip removed after being caught up in a cash for access scandal. Rifkind chairs the Intelligence and Security Committee, to which the [...]
HSBC: UK should not quit EU just as services reforms are coming February 23, 2015 Britain is threatening to leave the EU at the worst possible moment, HSBC analysts said yesterday, as key changes are on the way which will benefit the UK. Big businesses were reluctant to give their views on the Scottish referendum until the polls tightened at the last minute – and the comments sparked a backlash. But [...]
Eurozone ministers to discuss Greece’s last minute proposals February 23, 2015 GREECE last night missed a deadline to submit reform proposals for a new deal on its bailout, but officials said this was due to late exchanges between them and Europe. Drafts leaked to Greek media suggest the reforms will focus on tackling tax evasion, hiking minimum wage, free electricity and food stamps. Eurozone finance ministers [...]
George Osborne misses minimum wage target for 2015 February 23, 2015 The Low Pay Commission (LPC) announced yesterday that the minimum wage for workers over 21 years old should be raised by 20p to £6.70 an hour, a three per cent rise. George Osborne has previously indicated he would like it to be higher. In January last year the chancellor said in an interview: “If the [...]
Bosses attack plan to jail bank non-executives February 23, 2015 Non-executives could face jail if a bank goes under and they cannot prove they took steps to control risks, the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority said yesterday. The proposals bring senior board directors into line with top executives who will also face criminal liability under the new senior managers’ regime. The aim is [...]
Apple plans €1.7bn investment in European data centre project February 23, 2015 TECHNOLOGY titan Apple’s shares reached a record high of $133 last night after the US group announced plans to invest €1.7bn (£1.2bn) on two massive European data centres. Chief executive Tim Cook called the data centres: “Apple’s biggest project in Europe to date”. Based in County Galway, Ireland, and Denmark’s central Jutland, the two data [...]
Aldermore IPO: Challenger bank geared up to unveil £75m stock market float today February 23, 2015 Challenger bank Aldermore is set to reveal plans today for a stock market listing worth £75m. The company’s board met yesterday to rubber-stamp the announcement, a source close to Aldermore told Sky News. Backing is already provisionally in place from a number of blue-chip institutions. The initial public offering (IPO) to be announced will seek [...]
Burberry gets crafty for fashion week February 23, 2015 The clothes look crafty – and so is Burberry’s sales technique under new chief executive Christopher Bailey. The fringed and folksy parade at London Fashion Week had 3.6m Twitter viewers and 2.7m Instragram followers, while the live stream audience could buy most of the British fashion with just a mouse click.
HSBC’s unhappy 150th birthday illustrates its growth: Stuart Gulliver on the highs and lows February 23, 2015 In the 1990s, Stuart Gulliver went to what look like extraordinary lengths to hide his bonus – he was paid in a Swiss account, held in the name of a Panamanian company. It looks shady, in light of the latest round of revelations of tax evasion through Swiss accounts. And the extra scrutiny comes at [...]
George Osborne challenges Ed Balls to say sorry over HSBC Swiss tax evasion scandal February 23, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne hit back at Labour over HSBC’s Swiss private bank yesterday, arguing that the wrongdoing took place and the taxman received the leaked documents under Labour, not the Tories, and Lord Green was given an advisory job by Gordon Brown. It comes after a fortnight of Labour accusing Osborne of failing to act [...]
