Holiday Homes: A historic, resort in Switzerland has got some of its mojo back after finding a Qatari buyer November 24, 2017 If anywhere epitomised the glamour of Hollywood in its halcyon days, it was Switzerland’s Bürgenstock Resort, nestling 500 metres above Lake Lucerne. Opening the first hotel in 1873, its reputation peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, when luminaries from across the globe were drawn to this secluded mountain retreat. Back then it wouldn’t elicit so [...]
Opinion: The stamp duty cut for first time buyers will make a difference to individuals, but not to the housing market at large November 24, 2017 The chancellor made a bold move to remove Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for most first-time buyers in the Budget on Wednesday. Raising the threshold to £300,000, immediately and indefinitely, will lift 80 per cent of them out of the tax. To account for higher prices in some parts of the country, all first-time buyers [...]
Brexit lurks behind Britain’s cautious Budget November 24, 2017 British Chancellors are used to facing intense scrutiny on Budget Day. Yet Philip Hammond spent weeks in the spotlight in the run-up to his November Budget. Brexiteers within the ruling Conservative Party want Theresa May to sack him because of his apparent lack of commitment to the Brexit cause, and for not being upbeat enough [...]
Philip Hammond has failed to improve the Tory party’s chances of electoral survival November 24, 2017 This was an elastoplast Budget. Its purpose was to cover the deepening gash in the Conservative party, give Philip Hammond’s reputation time to heal, and keep out germs hurled by the opposition benches. In this regard, it mostly worked. Read more: The Budget was a valiant attempt at an impossible balancing act The £3bn worth [...]
New homes: What’s on sale this weekend, in Croydon, Highgate, Ealing and Uxbridge November 23, 2017 New developments on the market this week Westgate House, Ealing From £299,000 New homes are being added to this development in west London due to high demand. Developer Galliard Homes will apply next month to build two more floors on top of its building on Hangar Lane, a “growth zone” in Ealing. This would up [...]
Failure to act on green belt a “big disappointment”, say Tory think tank Bright Blue November 23, 2017 The “big disappointment” from yesterday’s Budget was a failure to shake up green belt restrictions, according to a former minister and a leading Conservative think tank. While backing Philip Hammond’s stamp duty proposal, Bright Blue senior research fellow Sam Hall said the team had hoped reforms had been blocked because “the Prime Minister and others” [...]
6 key Budget 2017 takeaways November 23, 2017 Work in progress and still some way to go – that was my immediate take on the Budget. The good news was that the Chancellor recognised the need to position the UK for the great opportunities and significant challenges ahead. Despite this, far more needs to be done. First, the Chancellor and The Treasury are [...]
Autumn Budget: Philip Hammond glosses over gloomy growth November 23, 2017 There’s a wonderful clip doing the rounds of Australian MP Bob Katter answering a question on the country’s new equal marriage law. He’s all in favour of it – “let a thousand blossoms bloom,” he grins and chuckles, before his facial expression changes into one of fury as he quickly adds “but I ain’t spending [...]
DEBATE: Should Philip Hammond remain chancellor of the exchequer? November 23, 2017 Should Philip Hammond remain chancellor of the exchequer? James Baker, who sits on the board of the Tory Reform Group, says YES. The chancellor’s vision of Britain will resonate with voters across the UK, from small business owners to first-time buyers, many of whom will now be better off as a result of his measures. [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond pledges billions to build in the 2017 Autumn Budget but wonks warn over future of UK’s stagnant economy November 23, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday promised to turn Britain into a prosperous nation of homeowners, yet was rocked by a sweeping set of downgrades to the UK’s future growth prospects. Hammond used the Autumn Budget to abolish stamp duty for thousands of first-time buyers, and reveal £15.3bn of new funding to encourage housebuilding. “As we invest [...]