General Election 2015: How Tony Blair presided over the biggest rise in UK house prices in history April 22, 2015 There's no easy way to say this, but Tony Blair, rather than the likes of Margaret Thatcher or David Cameron, was the Prime Minister who presided over the highest-ever rise in property prices, it turns out. Research from Knight Frank suggests house prices rose a staggering 211.3 per cent during Blair's premiership – higher than [...]
General Election 2015: Nick Clegg’s tax pledge to deter second homes April 21, 2015 Second homeowners could see their tax bills multiply if the Liberal Democrats return to government after the General Election. The Lib Dems want to give local authorities new powers to charge up to 200 per cent council tax on second homes, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said in a speech in the south west of England [...]
Steve Jobs was wrong: The customer knows best in the age of crowd-sourcing April 21, 2015 Apple’s 1997 “Think Different” campaign stands out as one of the major turning points in that company’s history. It was a message that Steve Jobs and his innovative spirit had returned to the firm, after he left in 1985. Jobs was as famous for championing the misfit as for saying that, in business, you won’t [...]
Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice trailer released but it’s only teasing another teaser April 16, 2015 The first Batman v Superman movie trailer is here. Time for film and comic book fans around the world to get excited. Except, there's not really that much to get excited about. A 20 second clip released by the film's director Zack Snyder on Twitter is more of a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer [...]
City Moves for 14 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 13, 2015 SunLife The financial services firm has appointed Emma Walker to lead its aggregator, digital, and customer experience teams. She joins from MoneySupermarket.com, where she was head of protection and non core insurance. LCH.Clearnet Steve Briscoe has been appointed group head of technology and operations at the clearing house. He joins from RBS, where he was [...]
London house prices: This nine-bedroom Chelsea mansion just sold for £51m – 300 times the average house price April 10, 2015 A house just outside Chelsea's super-upmarket square The Boltons has sold for just over £51m – that's 300 times the average house price for England and Wales. The Daily Mail reported the nine-bedroom property in Boltons Place had been sold to an offshore company – although the buyer got a deal: it was originally on [...]
Personal trainer Tony Stacey hopes for a bit of magic in bid to run seven marathons in seven days April 9, 2015 A personal trainer based in the City has won celebrity backing for his campaign to raise cash for Breast Cancer Care by running seven marathons in seven days with a group of supporters. Tony Stacey, who was born and raised in Barking but now lives in Kent, and a group of runners will complete the [...]
Grand National Sweepstake April 9, 2015 40 Horses, 4m 31/2 f, 30 fences and AP McCoy’s last ride in the race. Bill Esdaile casts his expert eye over the Grand National runners. Lord Windermere 40/1 Former Gold Cup winner but isn’t in form and has a massive weight Many Clouds 33/1 Had a very hard race in the Gold Cup and [...]
A St James’s Square office development just smashed the UK’s rent record April 9, 2015 The crazy inflation of London office rents continues apace, after a gallery signed a record-breaking deal at a new development in St James's Square. The Helly Nahmad Gallery has signed a 15-year lease to pay £185 per sq ft across 2,959 sq ft on the sixth floor of 8 St James's Square, industry magazine Property Week [...]
Stamp duty and mansion taxes: Which taxes apply to you? April 7, 2015 Money is tight in Whitehall. Both Labour and the Conservatives are promising to cut the deficit to varying degrees if they win the General Election. And Westminster is surrounded by some of the most valuable real estate in the world. House prices in London have boomed since 2013, so an obvious solution presents [...]