Tax and spend? We can’t save public services without a unified tech policy July 20, 2022 There are numerous ways in which to judge a potential leadership candidate. Their sheer electoral appeal, their reputation within the party, their communication style and authenticity, their experience, or their policy agendas. Or often all of the above. In regards to the latter, the candidates are unsurprisingly fixated on the same old conventional arguments about [...]
It would be madness to arm the unions with acquiescence July 20, 2022 THE continuing rail disputes are understandable given that two years of on-off lockdown have disrupted normal pay settlement processes. But the railways have been massively subsidised by the taxpayer over this period, and cannot expect such largesse to continue. Revenue is down to less than 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, and patterns of use [...]
Inflation expected to soar above eye-watering 40-year highs as cost of living onslaught deepens July 19, 2022 When official figures lay bare the extent of the mounting cost-of-living crisis on tomorrow morning, UK inflation is expected to soar even further above current eye-watering 40-year highs. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will show Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to at least 9.3 per cent in June, up [...]
Supermarket shoppers face £454 extra to yearly grocery bill as inflation bites July 19, 2022 Shoppers are now facing a £454 increase to their annual supermarket bills, with grocery price inflation edging towards the highest level since 2008. According to the latest numbers from Kantar, grocery price inflation now sits at 9.9 per cent for the past four weeks. This marks the second highest level of inflation seen since 2008, [...]
Rishi Sunak says tax cuts are a fairy tale, but he is chasing a Sleeping Beauty fantasy July 19, 2022 TIMES are tough. We need a bold plan to tackle the cost of living and get growth going. I have heard my friend Rishi Sunak argue that this is not the time to cut taxes, despite people facing the heaviest burden since the 1940s. With all due respect to the former chancellor, he is acting [...]
Tortilla Mexican Grill’s revenues shoot up by 60 per cent after snapping up rival but inflation and industry pressures bite July 18, 2022 A Mexican food giant experienced a big spike in revenue following a key acquisition and expansion across the UK. Tortilla Mexican Grill’s group revenue was up 60 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared to 2019. This comes after the firm bought out Chilango for £2.75m, taking on its eight sites across the [...]
Calls grow to pause benefits sanctions until merciless cost-of-living crisis has calmed down July 14, 2022 Benefits sanctions should be paused by the UK government until the cost-of-living crisis has been resolved, Citizens Advice Scotland has said. Advice from the charity on sanctions to Universal Credit rose by 5 per cent in 2021-22, research published today indicated. With inflation rising and impacting on the cost of goods, Citizens Advice said a [...]
Just Eat offers restaurants bikes, loans and cashback as they falter amid historic inflation July 14, 2022 Just Eat has unveiled a £1m support package with financial support for its independent restaurant partners as they struggle amid inflationary pressures. Small, independent firms in the UK will be able to access the support package, which includes marketing and financial support – that does not need to be re-paid. Businesses have been struggling in [...]
US inflation surge ‘nails on’ another Fed rate hike bazooka July 13, 2022 Prices are rising at the fastest pace in nearly 41 years in America, nailing on another huge rate rise by the US Federal Reserve larter this month. US inflation climbed to 9.1 per cent last month, smashing Wall Street’s expectations and up from an already historic level of 8.6 per cent, according to data published [...]
The investment trust sector and the Four Horsemen – a review of Q2 22 July 13, 2022 Conquest and War – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict between the two countries; Famine – at the very least the increased threat of global food shortages as supplies from Ukraine, the ‘bread basket of Europe’, increasingly become weaponised; Death – despite the roll-out of vaccines, Covid-19 continues to mutate and take lives [...]