Chancellor George Osborne says he is “comfortable” with tax credit cuts October 22, 2015 Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne said this morning he is "comfortable" with his plans to cut tax credits, despite mounting pressure for him to U-turn on the proposals. “This is fundamentally a judgement call, and I’m comfortable with the judgement call that I have made, and that the House of Commons has supported this week,” Osborne [...]
Competition and Markets Authority rejects calls to break up big banks in retail banking review October 22, 2015 The competition watchdog has ruled out breaking up Britain’s biggest banks and defended so-called free banking practices. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the preliminary results of its 18-month investigation into the retail banking sector this morning. The watchdog launched the investigation over concerns the “Big Four” banks – Lloyds, RBS, HSBC and Barclays [...]
China’s state visit to the UK: Xi Jingping defends Chinese steel production October 21, 2015 Chinese President Xi Jingping has defended his country’s industrial policies, saying that an overcapacity of steel is a global problem. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street today, Xi said: “The world is facing the overcapacity of iron and steel, not just the UK.” Blaming the “impact of [...]
CBI director-general: benefits of EU membership outweigh the disadvantages October 21, 2015 A leading business group has made a major push in favour of Britain’s European Union membership. In a new report published today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), set out its case for the UK remaining in a “reformed” EU. The CBI argued that the EU provides British firms with multiple advantages, including more customers [...]
Why pensioners are probably earning more than you are October 20, 2015 Pensioners are better off than ever before, earning more on average than people of working age, according to new research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). IFS director Paul Johnson said last night that IFS research suggests that pensioners’ incomes will continue to rise for at least the next decade – but it is [...]
IPPR think tank: one in three UK working mothers are breadwinners October 20, 2015 One in three working mothers in Britain are the breadwinners in their families, according to a new report out today from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). IPPR, a think tank, found that the proportion of maternal breadwinners rose from 23 per cent nearly two decades ago to 33 per cent in 2013. The [...]
PwC says new programme will help mothers going back to work October 20, 2015 A leading professional services firm is today launching a new programme to help people get back on the career ladder after an extended break. PwC’s “Back to Business” programme is aimed at mothers who took time out, but the firm says the 12-week course is open to men and women of all experience levels. PwC [...]
Federation of Small Businesses sends wish list to London mayoral hopefuls October 20, 2015 Small businesses in the capital are calling on the next mayor of London to work to bring down property costs. In a report released today, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) London laid out a “London Manifesto” for Boris Johnson’s successor. After polling nearly 7,000 small businesses in London on their biggest concerns for City [...]
Moore Stephens: directors acting illegally “are more likely than ever to get caught” October 19, 2015 The number of company directors disqualified for conducting unlawful transactions in failing businesses increased sharply over the last year, according to a new report out today from Moore Stephens, the accountancy firm. Moore Stephens recorded a 12 per cent jump in disqualifications for so-called uncommercial transactions, such as selling assets cheaply or paying off loans improperly at [...]
CBI director general: government needs to spend more on research and development October 19, 2015 A leading business group wants the government to prioritise innovation and science funding in next month’s comprehensive spending review (CSR). The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is today calling on the government to spend more than six times what it currently allocates to research and development (R&D), increasing provisions from 0.49 per cent of GDP [...]
