Queen’s Speech 2015: Everything we know so far including the EU referendum, devolution, Human Rights Act, income tax, housing and Scotland May 26, 2015 The Queen's Speech will unveil the Conservative government's policy agenda on Wednesday and having shed its coalition partner at the General Election, some pretty major shifts in policy are expected. Here are some of the top pledges expected to feature in the state opening of parliament tomorrow. EU referendum bill Having committed to holding an [...]
London’s cabbies are taking on Uber, and TfL in high stakes fight for capital’s streets May 25, 2015 Transport for London’s (TfL) headquarters will be the scene of a protest by black cab drivers today. The action is a demonstration of the simmering tensions between traditional cabbies and modern firms like Uber, which show no sign of dying down. Black cab drivers are represented by the London Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), Unite [...]
Madame Tussauds building to be sold to Taiwanese insurer May 25, 2015 TAIWANESE insurer Fubon Life is to buy the home of Madame Tussauds wax museum in Marylebone for £348.8m. The insurer, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s second-biggest financial company by assets has been given the green light by the country’s insurance watchdog to buy the site of the tourist attraction from property tycoon Nick Leslau’s Secure Income [...]
Households and small firms confident about UK growth May 25, 2015 SMALL businesses are increasingly confident in the state of the UK economy, according to a study out yesterday from insurance firm Zurich, as the recovery becomes increasingly entrenched. And although consumer confidence slipped a touch in the run up to the General Election, Lloyds Bank figures show households aided by falling energy bills, brought on [...]
Thatcher and the crisis: It’s time to acknowledge the myth of deregulation May 25, 2015 There is no shortage of commentators who blame Margaret Thatcher’s supposed deregulation of the City for the crash of 2008. But surely it is unreasonable to blame her for events that happened nearly 30 years after 1979. And, on another level, it is a complete misunderstanding of the Thatcher period. I explain this in Thatcher: [...]
Taiwanese insurer Fubon Life Insurance snaps up site of Madame Tussauds May 25, 2015 Top tourist attraction Madame Tussauds Marylebone site has been snapped up by a Taiwanese insurer in a multi-million pound deal. Fubon Life Insurance bought the premises, which has been home to the waxwork museum for about 130 years, for £348.8m according to media reports. It's located on Marylebone Road near Regents Park and displays waxworks figures of [...]
Speed limit roulette, anyone? One in four speed cameras are switched off May 22, 2015 If you're planning a road trip over the bank holiday, here's a bit of good news: one in four speed cameras are switched off, it turns out. That's according to data obtained under a freedom of information request by insurance comparison site Confused.com, which found out that of the 1,714 fixed speed camera sites in [...]
Quindell share prices rises as regulators give Slater & Gordon disposal the nod May 22, 2015 Quindell shares opened 2.7 per cent higher at 132p this morning after it revealed the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had given its plans to sell its law arm the thumbs up. The company announced plans to sell its professional services division, which accounts for 90 per cent of its business, to Slater & Gordon in [...]
Hastings boss eyeing a float as premiums up in first quarter May 21, 2015 HASTINGS Insurance Group increased gross written premium by 23 per cent in the first three months of 2015, up to £132.3m from £107.4m. Combined operating ratio was also improved to 89.6 per cent from 93.7 per cent in the first quarter of last year. Meanwhile, the firm’s customer numbers increased by 19 per cent to [...]
Amlin hit by weaker euro May 21, 2015 INSURANCE group Amlin saw a one per cent reduction in gross written premium in the three months to 31 March, down to £1.26bn from £1.28bn in the first quarter of2014. The company said income growth from a strengthening of the dollar was “largely offset by weakening in the euro”. Amlin boss Charles Philipps said: “We [...]