Prime Minister’s Questions: George Osborne discusses radicalisation, climate change and employment June 17, 2015 George Osborne has made his debut on centre stage at Prime Minister's Questions, as Parliament discussed radicalisation, climate change and today's employment figures. The Chancellor was standing in for the Prime Minister, who is continuing his tour of Europe to meet EU leaders, while Labour's Hilary Benn was asking questions. Benn, the shadow foreign secretary, [...]
Sterling jumps as UK wage growth smashes expectations and unemployment falls again June 17, 2015 The pound leaped 0.54 per cent against the dollar to $1.5715 this morning, after data from the Office for National Statistics showed wages grew 2.7 per cent between February and April. Wage growth is at its fastest rate since Augest 2001, smashing expectations of 2.5 per cent. It is significantly higher than inflation, which stands at 0.1 [...]
Kent tops Lonely Planet’s 2015 ranking of the best places for a family holiday in Europe June 17, 2015 Attractions such as the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral have helped Kent top a ranking of the best places for a family holiday in Europe. "Kent isn't described as the garden of England for nothing," according to a ranking of the best family destinations by Lonely Planet's Best in Europe 2015. "Within [...]
London mayor election: Who has declared in the race to succeed Boris Johnson? June 17, 2015 The London mayor election will take place next year and, with incumbent Boris Johnson standing down to focus on his role in Parliament, the field is filling with candidates who have already declared their intentions to run. Five Conservative candidates are looking to succeed Johnson, while six Labour candidates, two Greens, one Independent and a [...]
Education secretary Nicky Morgan announces sweeping reforms to GCSE exams June 16, 2015 The government will raise the bar on GCSE exams, education secretary Nicky Morgan said yesterday. Speaking at a secondary school in North London, Morgan said that GCSEs will be graded on a new one-to-nine grading scale, with a level five considered a “good pass.” The education department said a five under the new rubric would be comparable [...]
Britain leads the world in female entrepreneurship – but gender barriers remain June 16, 2015 There’s no doubt that the UK’s startup community is alive and kicking, with over half a million new businesses registered last year alone. Startups by their very nature are bold and agile, and they play a seminal role in contributing to the innovation the UK needs to remain competitive. With the number of incubator and [...]
Hales: Our new style is winning over supporters June 16, 2015 POWER-HITTING opener Alex Hales believes England’s new-found brand of attacking one-day cricket has turned the tide of public opinion in their favour after the dismay of slipping to a humiliating group-stage exit at the World Cup. Despite trailing New Zealand 2-1 in the five-match series heading into today’s penultimate fixture at Trent Bridge, England’s change [...]
London Technology Week: Tech City is an awesome success story combining the best of Silicon Valley, Wall Street, New York and DC June 16, 2015 I emigrated from Silicon Valley a little more than ten years ago to work at a very young startup at the time, Skype. It was so new then that I spent months correcting friends’ pronunciation of the company name from Skype-ee to Skype. At that time I was exasperated at the dearth of candidates for [...]
Saudi Stock Exchange opens to foreign investment: Meet the biggest companies you’ve never heard of June 15, 2015 Saudi Arabia’s largest natural resource is oil. Yet there is one deep, very different well that remains still untapped: direct foreign investment in the Tadawul, better known as the Saudi Stock Exchange. With a market capitalisation of more than $560bn (£360bn) it is the final major capital market not yet open to direct foreign investment. [...]
How I will demolish the barriers slowing down London’s digital growth June 15, 2015 DIGITAL technology is changing the world, but the pace of change is still breathtaking. In three years, Airbnb amassed as many hotel rooms as the Hilton dynasty did in a century. Ten years ago, Twitter didn’t exist – now it has over 300m users. And Spotify adds over 20,000 tracks to its 30m-strong music library [...]