City braces for fresh inflation and borrowing figures October 16, 2022 The City is bracing for another busy week of new data illustrating the health of the UK economy. Last week, the FTSE 100 index fell 1.89 per cent to finish at 6,858.79 points after it was rocked by prime minister Liz Truss ditching chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. The domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more [...]
HS2: ‘Very unlikely’ to meet budget for first phase October 16, 2022 The total cost of HS2’s London-Birmingham section is set to exceed the government’s budget by several billions, according to a leaked report. A research presented to the HS2 board by Sir Jon Thompson, the project’s deputy chair, said it was “very unlikely” the £40.3bn target would be met. The document concluded that the government’s contingency [...]
Biden says Truss tax cuts were ‘a mistake’ and U-turn was ‘predictable’ October 16, 2022 US President Joe Biden has criticised Liz Truss’ tax plans as “a mistake” and said he “wasn’t the only one” who thought so. The President said the Prime Minister’s embarrassing U-turns were “predictable” when he was asked about it during a visit to an ice cream shop in Portland, Oregon. Biden said earlier this year [...]
Hunt says Truss has ‘changed’ as he warns of spending cuts and tax rises October 16, 2022 Jeremy Hunt has claimed Liz Truss has “changed” after the bruising last month as he warns of coming spending cuts and tax rises. The new chancellor said “spending is not going to increase by as much as people hoped” and that “taxes are not going to go down as quickly as people thought and some [...]
Asos confirms £350m credit facility as shoppers dial back spending October 15, 2022 Troubled fashion retailer Asos has today confirmed it is in the final stages of arranging a £350m credit facility with financial backers, as consumers dial back spending during the cost of living crisis. In a statement today, Asos said the credit facility, which matures in July 2024, would “significantly” boost its financial flexibility against the [...]
Truss and Kwarteng were ‘gamblers in a casino’ with UK economy, says Labour October 15, 2022 Prime minister Liz Truss and former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng “behaved like two gamblers in a casino” over the UK economy, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said today. Kwarteng was yesterday ousted by the new prime minister, making him the second shortest-running chancellor in the UK’s history. Succeeding Kwarteng is Jeremy Hunt, who this morning [...]
Millions of Brits to see annual mortgage payments rise by £5,100 by 2024 October 15, 2022 Millions of households will see their annual mortgage payments by as much as £5,100 over the next two years, according to one of the country’s top think thanks. More than five million families are set to be hit by spiralling mortgage costs by 2024, new analysis by the Resolution Foundation revealed, nearly one-fifth of all [...]
New chancellor Jeremy Hunt given ‘clean slate’ to fix mini-budget October 15, 2022 Less than 24-hours into the new job, chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt has been given a ‘clean slate’ to amend the controversial mini-budget. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Hunt singled out two key blunders in September’s mini-budget which rattled markets and public confidence with £45bn worth of tax cuts. “There [...]
Finding new ways to treat cataracts October 14, 2022 Professor Barbara Pierscionek, Deputy Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University. One of the worst fears is that of blindness. The great tragedy of the modern world is that so many people have sight impairment and that so much of this is preventable. In [...]
Analysis: Truss can’t buck the markets October 14, 2022 Around eight minutes is how long prime minister Liz Truss today allocated to explain why she sacked her chancellor for implementing her tax cuts and signed off her second mini budget U-turn. She clarified neither. She answered four questions and committed to her “mission” to boost growth in the UK at a Downing Street press [...]
