Freud sorry for disabled wage row comments October 15, 2014 LORD Freud, a government minister in the department of work and pensions, was forced to apologise yesterday for appearing to suggest that disabled people were “not worth” the full £6.50 an hour minimum wage. Highlighting Freud’s comments at Prime Minister’s Question Time yesterday, Opposition leader Ed Miliband called for the former Labour adviser to consider [...]
Former environment secretary warns UK will miss energy target October 15, 2014 THE UK will miss a key legally-binding energy emissions target in 2050 unless it builds a new Hinkley Point nuclear power station every three years, the former environment secretary Owen Paterson MP claimed last night. Giving an address to the Global Warming Policy foundation, Paterson warned that the UK’s current plan to use alternative energy [...]
Balfour Beatty names Leo Quinn as new chief exec October 14, 2014 Balfour Beatty’s share price soared this morning after revealing it had snagged Leo Quinn, chief executive of QinetiQ, to lead it out of troubled waters after a turbulent year and a series of profit warnings. Quinn, who has headed up defence technology company QinetiQ since 2009, takes over from Andrew McNaughton who stepped down after [...]
Pay graduates NOT to come to London, says ex-Goldman banker October 14, 2014 Chair of the RSA growth commission and former Goldman Sachs banker Jim O’Neill has called for “golden handcuffs” to keep students in towns and cities where they study and prevent them from moving to London when they graduate. The plan calls for local business groups to offer students financial incentives to stay put, including paying [...]
Russia pulls bond sale after rouble sinks and sanctions bite October 14, 2014 Russia was forced to pull a bond sale yesterday as its currency sank to a record new low and sanctions against the government, over continued intervention in Ukraine, began to bite. The country pulled the plug on a planned auction, the first in a month, as it continued to struggle with the impact of international [...]
George Osborne’s pensions revolution: Withdrawing cash early is big risk October 14, 2014 The insurance industry and business groups have issued a stark warning following the government’s most recent pensions announcement, claiming that withdrawing cash from pension pots too early could store up huge financial risks for the UK for years to come. Yesterday chancellor George Osborne hailed the next stage in his pensions revolution with news [...]
And cut! Greens and SNP furious over TV omissions October 13, 2014 A ROW over who should participate in televised political debates ahead of the general election could result in legal action against major broadcasters, it emerged yesterday. The BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 unveiled plans for a round of three TV debates to be broadcast ahead of the election, but only included the leaders of [...]
Ebola screening plans beefed up by government October 13, 2014 PLANS to step-up screening at the UK border for people coming from countries afflicted with Ebola were announced yesterday by the health secretary. In a statement in the House of Commons Jeremy Hunt sought to reassure people that the threat posed to the UK by the deadly virus remains low, but warned that a handful [...]
UBS to advise government on Eurostar sell-off despite claims Royal Mail was undervalued October 13, 2014 UBS has been appointed to advise the government on the sale of its 40 per cent stake in Eurostar, the Treasury confirmed yesterday. The decision is controversial because Swiss bank UBS also worked as book-runners on the Royal Mail deal and was forced to explain claims that the company was undervalued by £1bn at a [...]
Heathrow airport has a flyaway month as September numbers soar October 13, 2014 Heathrow airport saw its busiest September on record last month, with passenger numbers, cargo and travel between emerging markets all increasing. The airport, which is currently making a bid for expansion, said the number of people flying in rose 0.3 per cent compared with September 2013. Overall, cargo was up 7.8 per cent, with Mexico [...]
