Queen’s Speech promises wide-ranging public spending December 19, 2019 A wide ranging Queen’s Speech has set out the government’s plans to boost NHS spending, slash business rates, implement stricter prison sentencing and to leave the EU. Queen Elizabeth’s second state opening of parliament in three months began with the government’s promise leave the EU by the end of January. Read more: NHS to be [...]
Retail sales dip in November despite discounting December 19, 2019 Retail sales dipped last month as UK shoppers showed signs of “discount fatigue” in the run up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The amount spent in the three months to November dropped 0.3 per cent compared to the previous three months. Read more: Are there any signs retailers could be in for a merry [...]
Business can help charities in more ways than just raising funds December 19, 2019 After a Christmas election where all the main parties claimed that they would boost social spending, the season of giving this year has become unusually politically charged. Yet with an estimated 14m people living in poverty in Britain, regardless of which party is currently in power, there will remain a significant role for private philanthropy [...]
Dear Santa, for this Christmas I want the nanny state to get lost December 19, 2019 What is the best thing about Christmas? Presents are nice. Spending time with friends and family is obviously a highlight. But for many of us what truly makes the season is the food. Mince pies, pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, a snifter of sherry — the festive period is all about indulging. But will we [...]
Panic station: Major disruptions at London Victoria December 18, 2019 Commuters travelling home from London Victoria faced major delays and cancellations this evening, as a signal failure caused severe disruption at one of the country’s busiest stations. Victoria was brought to a standstill, with images on social media showing hundreds of passengers held on the station concourse waiting for Southern, Southeastern and Gatwick Express trains [...]
Queen’s Speech: Everything you need to know December 18, 2019 Queen Elizabeth II will make the trip from the palace to Westminster tomorrow to deliver her second Queen’s Speech in less than three months. She will lay out the new government’s agenda in the speech, while also officially opening parliament for a new term. Read more: Queen’s Speech plots path for pensions dashboards and new [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Big Party on the cards for Happy Alumni backers December 18, 2019 CHRISTMAS comes early in Hong Kong today with several festivities taking place at Happy Valley. With Father Christmas parading around the track dishing out a sack full of presents, traditional food and drink on offer and seasonal songs blasting from the famous beer garden, what more could racegoers want? In terms of what most racing [...]
Is the “Santa Rally” real? December 18, 2019 Investors found their festive spirits dampened at the end of 2018. With concerns over the health of the global economy looming large, global stocks fell 13.7 per cent in the final quarter of the year, according to the MSCI World Index. It wasn’t a merry advent period, indeed it was the worst December for markets [...]
All we want for Christmas is a pay raise — or an office cat December 18, 2019 At this time of year, many of us will have fond memories of writing festive wish lists in the fervent hope that we’d been good enough to receive a visit from the big man in red. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and while we still have wishes for the festive season, a few of these [...]
DEBATE: Is the office Christmas party actually worth it? December 18, 2019 Is the office Christmas party actually worth it? Emma Long, commercial director of BizSpace, says YES. Primarily, the office Christmas party is a chance for employers to say thank you to staff, and for employees to reflect on and celebrate the successes of the year. They enable colleagues from different teams and at all levels [...]