He’s won the popularity contest – now London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan must make some unpopular decisions May 9, 2016 Let's be honest, the world of politics has witnessed better campaigns than the scrap between Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan that culminated in the latter storming into City Hall with over 300,000 more votes than his nearest rival. Goldsmith has been roundly condemned for his team’s negative focus, while the broader contest was strangely subdued, [...]
Budget 2016: Chancellor George Osborne has broken two of his three golden fiscal rules. Here’s what economists are saying… March 16, 2016 Keen to depict himself as a safe pair of hands, George Osborne introduced three golden fiscal rules after last year's general election. Unfortunately for the chancellor, he has already broken two of them, while the third is hanging by a thread. Rule 1 concerned the welfare cap, which Osborne breached towards the end of last year following an abrupt U-turn [...]
Premier League football clubs cap away ticket prices at £30 for the next three seasons March 9, 2016 The Premier League has granted some welcome relief to cash-strapped football fans by capping the price of away tickets to £30 for the next three seasons. Supporters who travel to watch their teams will pay no more than £30 per seat after the top flight's 20 clubs "unanimously agreed" to the limit. Escalating ticket prices have [...]
String of suitors eye up Baltic Exchange including the Singapore Exchange, CME Group, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), and Platts February 25, 2016 The Baltic Exchange, a financial maritime hub located in the heart of the City of London, could be sold to one of a string of foreign buyers. The exchange is home to the Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of shipping huge quantities of coal, ore, grain, and other dry commodities across the world. [...]
Help to buy could be worsening London’s housing crisis and driving young people out of the capital February 25, 2016 Are you tired of London? Want to move to a quieter, cheaper part of the country? If so, you’re not alone – every year, thousands of people quit the city in search of a more tranquil existence. However, they tend to be replaced by a new wave of incoming urbanites, typically young people attracted by London’s [...]
Exasperated business bosses want second runway at Gatwick if Heathrow expansion faces further delays February 7, 2016 Senior business figures are demanding that the government grants Gatwick the right to build another runway, if expansion at Heathrow continues to be thwarted by political and legal obstacles. The Airports Commission backed a third runway at Heathrow last July describing the west London site as the “clear and unanimous” option. The government has repeatedly delayed [...]
President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address will be streamed on Amazon, YouTube, and the White House’s own website January 11, 2016 US president Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address will be available to stream on Amazon Video, YouTube, and the White House’s own website. The move comes in response to dwindling figures for the annual speech; while 52m people tuned in to Obama’s first address to Congress in 2009, figures for last year's speech slumped [...]
Bank of England: Brits can cope with higher rates December 8, 2014 ECONOMISTS at the Bank of England believe interest rates can rise from their current historic lows without significantly harming Britons’ spending power. The Bank’s latest quarterly report, published this morning, includes thorough calculations regarding the impact of tighter monetary policy. “Overall, these results do not imply that increases in interest rates from their current historically [...]
Glaxo abandons sale of its older drugs portfolio December 4, 2014 British pharma giant GlaxoSmith-Kline revealed late yesterday afternoon that it would not be going ahead with the sale of a portfolio of old drugs that had been valued at over $3bn (£1.9bn). Chief executive Sir Andrew Witty had talked up interest in the selection of off-patent treatments last summer, with several private equity firms believed [...]
