David Cameron launches 20 per cent discount scheme for new homes David Cameron will today launch a starter home scheme for first-time buyers, offering a 20 per cent discount on newly-built properties. The policy, announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative party conference earlier this year, was set to be a manifesto pledge, but is instead being unveiled six months earlier than planned. Buyers under [...]
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy: “I consult no one on the issues that are devolved in Scotland” Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy drew a clear dividing line between his party leadership in London and north of the border yesterday, claiming that he would not run policies by Ed Miliband first. Talking about devolved issues in Scotland, Murphy said that any policy affecting Scots would be decided north of the border by Scottish [...]
Labour will make it illegal to undercut UK workers’ wages by paying foreign workers less Labour will today announce plans to make it illegal for employers to pay foreign workers less than their UK counterparts. Ed Miliband is set to crack down on companies that undercut British staff by taking on cheaper labour from abroad. It is the latest in a string of speeches from the Labour leader as he [...]
Think tank says Labour will add to UK debt pile December 11, 2014 PLANS announced yesterday by Labour leader Ed Miliband would saddle the UK with more borrowing and therefore more government debt than under Conservative plans, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Deputy director Carl Emmerson said Miliband’s plans would result in “less spending cuts”, by vowing to balance the books rather than run a surplus [...]
Miliband braces his would-be cabinet for years of budget cuts December 10, 2014 LABOUR leader Ed Miliband will today prepare his shadow cabinet for years of departmental budget cuts as he promises to deal with the deficit while protecting public services. Miliband will use his speech to set out how a future Labour government would balance the books without cutting the state to 1930s levels – an accusation [...]
Davis report: Questions raised over Martin Wheatley’s leadership following FCA scandal December 10, 2014 Conservative MP Mark Garnier said yesterday that Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) boss Martin Wheatley faces questions over his fitness for the role. The former City fund manager, who now sits on the Treasury Select Committee, told City A.M.: “The question is whether the regulator’s priorities are badly distorted. It seems the regulator is confused about what [...]
Stagecoach’s share price falls as bus wing hits bump in the road December 10, 2014 Stagecoach yesterday warned investors that it would make less profit than expected from its UK and US bus operations this year, sending the group’s share price down by nearly seven per cent. Chief executive Martin Griffiths said the transport operator was in excellent financial shape, but warned that the mix of profit would be altered [...]
Snap presidential election prompts Greek stock dive December 9, 2014 Political instability in Greece has prompted the biggest one-day stock market fall in the country since the 1980s, amid fears that radical left-wing party Syriza could swoop into political office and lead the country out of the Eurozone. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has announced that a presidential election will be brought forward by two months, [...]
Gatwick airport would be hit hardest by new London runway plans December 9, 2014 Gatwick airport would take the biggest hit if a new runway was built in London, while Heathrow stands to gain the most from expansion plans, a new report out today claims. Credit ratings agency Moody’s has concluded that a new runway on site or at Heathrow would be bad for Gatwick, as expansion would mean [...]
Outsourcing giants targeted by MPs’ report December 9, 2014 A POWERFUL committee of MPs is calling for big private-sector contracts for government services to be broken up and divided between smaller suppliers, to avoid a too-big-to-fail disaster. The Public Accounts Committee claims that Whitehall departments are not running big contracts effectively and that the taxpayer is often not getting value for money. The MPs [...]
