Why I’m the first leader to support a looser Bank of England mandate March 15, 2013 WHEN Mark Carney takes over as our new governor of the Bank of England, at this time of “exceptional” economic crisis – his words not mine – he must be fully armed and working to a clear political direction from the start. Carney’s first day on the job should be an economic D-Day for the [...]
End universal benefits and cut tax to rebuild UK future March 15, 2013 THE pre-Budget period is often typified by a cacophony of measures, ranging from the incisive to the interesting to the idiotic. But a focus on individual measures can cause us to lose sight of more fundamental themes. As such, I want to talk about the “why” in the economic debate, not only the “how”. Our [...]
New Quarto boss aiming to put boardroom coup behind firm March 13, 2013 THE new chief executive of publishing company Quarto will outline his plans for a revamped, leaner company this week as he faces the City after a shareholder coup defenestrated his predecessor. Laurence Orbach, who founded the company in 1976 and remains a large shareholder, was dramatically ousted in November at a special meeting forced by [...]
London is most expensive place for finance firms March 13, 2013 TAXES and fees are making London by far the most expensive location in the world to set up a financial firm, according to figures released this morning. Looking at rents alone, Hong Kong tops the table of world cities for locating a company in the financial sector, Savills said, but including the impact of fees [...]
We’re more radical than Thatcher with business tax reform March 9, 2013 WITH many economies – including the UK – struggling to achieve strong growth, there is naturally a focus on what governments can do to assist. The Prime Minister is making a major speech today about the key elements of the coalition’s plan, but I want to focus on one part: how a competitive tax system [...]
London less reliant on state jobs than the rest of the UK March 9, 2013 LONDON and its commuter belt rely far less on the public sector for jobs than the rest of the UK, official statistics revealed yesterday. In the third quarter of last year, public sector employees made up 19.4 per cent of the total across the UK, data from the Office for National Statistics showed, with just [...]
The NHS is losing global arms race to offer better healthcare for less March 9, 2013 THE Francis Inquiry into failings at Stafford Hospital has put the NHS under the spotlight once again. Just yesterday, NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson was grilled by MPs over his role in the scandal. All too often the service fails to deliver the quality, compassionate and patient-centred care the public expects. International comparisons are [...]
Ecclestone wants three extra Formula One races to create a bigger season from 2014 March 8, 2013 EXCLUSIVE FORMULA One chief Bernie Ecclestone wants to push the sport’s season beyond its current 20-race limit, by adding three new events that could include an eye-catching street race through New Jersey. The new F1 season, starting next week, only has 19 races confirmed, with Ecclestone admitting that a 20th race has not been found. [...]
World’s richest added to their wealth in 2012 March 7, 2013 MEXICAN telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has consolidated his position as the world’s richest man, adding $4bn (£2.65bn) to his family’s fortune in the last year, according to the latest Forbes list of billionaires. Slim, whose wealth has grown through his various mobile phone, financial and industrial companies, is now $6bn richer than the second [...]
What the Eastleigh result tells us about the future of British politics March 7, 2013 THE Eastleigh by-election gave us a clear indication of what is likely to happen in 2015. True, the politicians and pundits have made some confusing noise – inevitable since Thursday’s result provided triumph for no party, but genuine comfort for them all. The Conservatives did not fall to crisis levels, and could theoretically recover enough [...]
