Eddie Stobart given breathing space by creditors ahead of takeover vote November 24, 2019 Struggling haulier Eddie Stobart has been given more than a year’s extra time to get its finances in order by its creditors as it prepares to put a takeover deal to its shareholders. Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland, BNP Paribas, and KBC – who are owed £200m between them – will postpone loan repayments [...]
Conservative manifesto: How will Boris Johnson tax and spend? November 24, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched the Conservative manifesto with a pledge that he would increase spending by a fraction of Labour’s plans in a “sensible, moderate” approach to the economy. According to the Conservatives’ sums, the party would increase day-to-day spending by £2.9bn a year by 2023-24, compared to an £82.9bn increase under Labour. [...]
Lecturers set to strike over pensions and pay at 60 universities November 24, 2019 Academics at 60 universities across the UK are set to go on strike tomorrow over pensions, pay and working conditions in the latest episode of a long-running dispute between management and staff. The strikes will affect around 1m students on eight consecutive working days from tomorrow until 4 December. Read more: Royal Mail shares bleed [...]
Sterling falls against the dollar as UK economy slows but US picks up November 22, 2019 The pound has fallen against the dollar as traders near the end of their week after survey data was better than expected in the US but painted a gloomy picture of the UK economy. Sterling was trading 0.59 per cent lower against the greenback by 4.40pm, taking it to $1.283. Read more: FTSE 100 leads [...]
FTSE 100 soars above European rivals as pound weakens November 22, 2019 The FTSE 100 jumped this afternoon, ending the week with a strong finish amid a drop in the pound and strong gains in some sectors. The UK’s blue-chip index led its European counterparts upwards, rising 1.21 per cent. Read more: Sterling falls as UK economy slows and US accelerates France’s CAC 40 index had climbed [...]
Question Time Leaders Special 2019: Four big talking points for tonight’s debate November 22, 2019 The leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) will be grilled by members of the public over their General Election policies on a BBC Question Time special tonight. Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson and Nicola Sturgeon will each face 30 minutes of audience questions, with Labour’s Corbyn up [...]
Here’s how much you need to earn to be considered rich November 22, 2019 A fiery debate was sparked last night about what makes a person “rich” after a man on BBC Question Time wrongly claimed he was not even in the top 50 per cent of earners – despite bringing home £80,000 a year. The man laid into Labour candidate Richard Burgeon, who was on the show to [...]
UK private sector output suffers worst fall in over three years November 22, 2019 The UK’s private sector suffered its sharpest fall in output in over three years this month, according to new survey data, as the huge services sector shrank. A lack of clarity over Brexit and fresh uncertainty due to the General Election weighed on growth, said respondents to the survey by data firm IHS Markit and [...]
New ECB president Christine Lagarde tells governments to hike spending to tackle downturn November 22, 2019 New European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde has encouraged governments to use fiscal policy to boost the Eurozone’s lacklustre growth, continuing the message of her predecessor Mario Draghi. In her first speech as ECB president, the former French finance minister said there is “a cross-cutting case for investment in a common future” as growth [...]
Exports and extra spending help Germany avoid recession November 22, 2019 Rising exports, consumer consumption and an increase in government spending helped Germany avoid recession in the third quarter of the year, a breakdown of the statistics showed today. German GDP grew by 0.1 per cent quarter on quarter in the three months to September, data showed last week, meaning it dodged a technical recession after [...]