UK businesses hire EU workers “for commitment and experience”, rather than because they are cheap October 1, 2014 Non-UK workers aren't just a cheaper alternative than their UK counterparts, it seems. EU migrants offer growing UK businesses levels of experience and commitment that make them extremely attractive to employers, according to a new report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The study looked at the motivations and experiences of 1,000 employers and [...]
Corbisiero out until next year September 30, 2014 ENGLAND coach Stuart Lancaster’s autumn international selection worries are mounting after Northampton Saints prop Alex Corbisiero was ruled out until next year with a shoulder injury. Lancaster is now set to be without four regular front-row forwards for the November schedule, having already lost Saracens’ Mako Vunipola and Leicester Tigers pair Tom Youngs and Dan [...]
Unleash the potential of small developers to help resolve the housing crisis September 30, 2014 JUST as with small business lending, the house-building market in Britain is deeply dysfunctional. Development is being suffocated, helping to inflate house prices and stoke the red-hot rental market. In some parts of the country, the situation is particularly grim. In the East Midlands, housing starts are barely at a third of their peak levels [...]
Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party Conference speech: “Semi-Marxist Miliband”, “eat the kippers” and “planet zog” September 30, 2014 Conservative favourite and London mayor Boris Johnson has delivered an upbeat speech to the Tory faithful at the party's conference in Birmingham. With swipes at Ukip defectors, Ed Miliband and Vince Cable, the speech was well-received in a conference hall nervous about the prospects of electoral success and party unity. Johnson ran through a list [...]
Two-thirds of small businesses predict double-digit growth in 2015 September 30, 2014 Britain's small businesses are overwhelmingly optimistic about prospects for growth in 2015, according to research conducted by mobile network operator EE. The survey of 1,000 small businesses shows 69 per cent believe they will enjoy double-digit growth next year, with an average projection of 26 per cent growth. However, the research was not all good news. [...]
UK jobs boosted by EU migrant workers as businesses increase apprenticeships September 29, 2014 Immigrants from Europe are not undercutting the wages of young people in the UK, but may actually be increasing their chances of getting a job, according to a report released today. The research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development also found that firms employing migrants often had more internship and apprenticeship opportunities, which [...]
George Osborne would cap family benefits at £23,000 to tackle “culture of welfare dependency” September 29, 2014 The Conservatives would freeze working age benefits for the next two years if the party secures the public vote next year, chancellor George Osborne has said. Speaking today at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, he warned of a growing “culture of welfare dependency” among young people, which the state could no longer fund. [...]
Conservative Party Conference 2014: George Osborne outlines plans to freeze working-age benefits, abolish pension death tax and cut benefit cap September 29, 2014 Chancellor George Osborne has delivered a host of policy pledges to the Tory faithful at the party's conference in Birmingham today. The chancellor began his speech highlighting the UK's success in reducing unemployment and the deficit. However, Osborne told the conference hall that there was still much to be done, and the recovery faced [...]
Boris Johnson: Conservative MPs defecting to Ukip must be “utterly nuts” September 29, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has blasted Tory MPs thinking about defecting to Ukip as "utterly nuts". Writing in the Telegraph, Johnson warned Conservative defectors could help the country "sleepwalk into a Labour government". The comments came after two Conservative MPs crossed the floor to Nigel Farage's eurosceptic party. The first was MP for Clacton Douglas [...]
Firms’ research investment hits a record high September 28, 2014 RESEARCH and development (R&D) spending jumped by 10 per cent in the year after the rules on tax credits were eased, according to research out today from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. Spending hit £13.2bn in the tax year 2012-13, the latest for which the data are available – the highest level it has ever [...]