Autumn Statement 2014: £2bn cash boost for NHS is not enough, says Labour November 30, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne announced a £2bn boost to NHS spending yesterday, ahead of formal plans which will be set out in the Autumn Statement. However, Labour hit back almost immediately, arguing that the extra cash is nowhere near enough to plug a hole in the healthcare budget. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show yesterday the [...]
Airports call for George Osborne to scrap air passenger duty or risk losing jobs to Scotland November 27, 2014 Airports in the north of England have appealed to the chancellor to scrap air passenger duty (APD) in his Autumn Statement next week, following the announcement yesterday that Scotland will be free to get rid of the tax as part of devolution plans. Three key airports in the north have all made appeals to [...]
David Cameron: Let us block migrant benefits or we’ll leave EU November 27, 2014 David Cameron will today fire a warning shot over EU negotiations by revealing plans to dramatically tighten benefits allowances for immigrants from within the Union. The Prime Minister will toughen his stance by insisting that he is ready for Britain to leave the EU unless benefits for migrants can be severely restricted. His speech comes in [...]
FirstGroup loses out again as East Coast privatised November 27, 2014 FIRSTGROUP has lost out on the fifth and final rail franchise it bid for this year, as the East Coast mainline fell back into the private sector yesterday. A joint operation, run by Stagecoach and Virgin, was announced as the new operator, following a round of submissions for the key north-south rail route. Stagecoach and [...]
Government plans to name and shame late paying companies November 27, 2014 MINISTERS have announced plans to keep a detailed public record of how long it takes major companies to pay their smaller suppliers, in a bid to stamp out late payments which can cripple small businesses. Business minister Matt Hancock unveiled the plans yesterday, which will record the average payment time; the proportion of invoices paid [...]
City will snub Juncker’s masterplan, MEP warns November 26, 2014 A LONDON MEP has warned European president Jean-Claude Juncker that the City will snub his £250bn investment plan because investors are wary of government infrastructure projects. The claim follow’s Juncker’s announcement yesterday that the £250bn fund will be used to generate 15 times more investment from private companies, in a bid to kick-start Europe’s flagging [...]
Ed Miliband sets sights on water industry to tackle cost of living crisis November 26, 2014 Labour leader Ed Miliband has set his sights on water companies, claiming they make vast profits for shareholders, but do not provide customers with value for money. The move follows a high-profile attack on energy companies last year. In a bid to tackle the so-called cost of living crisis, Labour’s environment minister Maria Eagle will [...]
Labour’s VAT jibe is political hot air, George Osborne won’t bite November 26, 2014 It’s that time of year again folks. The Christmas adverts have taken root on our TV screens and Marks and Spencer has its “tastefully festive” album playing in store. That’s right, the Autumn Statement is just around the corner and boy what a stocking full of goodies the chancellor is preparing to give away this [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: Treasury rules out cut to tourism VAT November 25, 2014 The Treasury has ruled out a cut to tourism VAT in the Autumn Statement next week, despite a campaign to slash the rate paid by tourist attractions and hotels around the UK. The Cut Tourism VAT campaign, backed by Merlin Entertainments, the British Hospitality Association and a number of MPs from all parties, has called [...]
Facebook accused in report on terrorist murder of Lee Rigby November 25, 2014 FACEBOOK has been attacked by a report into the murder of Lee Rigby that concluded that it may have help ed prevent the death if it had shared messages from one killer. The report by the Intelligence and Security Com mit tee concluded that the murder was not preventable and could not have been foreseen. [...]
