George Osborne’s successor Philip Hammond will have a say in whether he can take his new job as Evening Standard editor March 17, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond will play a direct part in the decision made by the government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) on his predecessor George Osborne’s new role as editor of the Evening Standard. Acoba, the body tasked with scrutinising appointments, will ask relevant government departments for their opinions on whether the new job will [...]
The Queen and Oliver Twist movie backers forced to pay back £26m to the taxman in landmark ruling March 17, 2017 The taxman today hailed its victory in a tax avoidance case against partnerships that backed a number of high profile films including The Queen and Oliver Twist. The £26m ruling paves the way for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to go after similar schemes, a decision it estimates could swell its coffers by £286m. British movie makers have [...]
This stock market index rose 289% but could still be good value March 17, 2017 Over time, smaller company shares have outperformed larger ones, research shows. The FTSE Small Cap index has risen 289% since its nadir in February 2009, compared with a 158% rise for the FTSE 100. Because of their size, “small caps” have the potential to grow more quickly. The quicker a company can grow its earnings in a [...]
Editor’s Notes: Only a lack of ambition can hold Britain back, says the Legatum Institute’s researcher tasked with finding the upside of the Brexit vote March 17, 2017 Britain faces an enormous challenge in the wake of Brexit, but the prize is more than worth the fight. That’s according to one experienced former trade negotiator who now finds himself at the heart of the UK’s trade debate. Shanker Singham is director of economic policy and prosperity studies at the Legatum Institute in London. He’s [...]
Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding revealed as presenters for the Channel 4 version of Great British Bake Off March 16, 2017 Channel 4 today revealed comedians Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding will be stepping into the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) tent as the show's new presenters. Also new for the eighth season of the show will be food writer Prue Leith. She will be joining baker Paul Hollywood, who hopped channels after the BBC lost the rights [...]
Vodafone share price rises on reports it has reignited merger talks with Virgin Media owner Liberty Global March 16, 2017 Vodafone's share price rose over 1.5 per per cent following reports it had rebooted talks with Liberty Global to thrash out a deal that will shake up the British and German operations of the two telecoms giants. Company sources told technology publication The Register that Liberty Global, which owns Virgin Media, will create a joint venture with Vodafone's [...]
Unilever shows that the Prime Minister must show her cards on takeovers by foreign companies March 15, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has talked tough on foreign takeovers and raised the prospect of a beefed-up national interest policy as fears rise about opportunistic takeovers on the back of the weaker pound. However, it is unclear how far the government would actually intervene in corporate dealmaking when it comes to the crunch. Ministers were [...]
Need a reason to cut public sector pay and pensions? Look at Jeremy Corbyn March 15, 2017 The shambles over the treatment of National Insurance has dominated the media’s reporting of the recent Budget. But only the previous week, Jeremy Corbyn made a complete horlicks of his tax return for the second year running. The Bearded One makes a saintly fuss over making his tax affairs transparent. In 2016, he forgot to [...]
May 2, Sturgeon nil: The SNP has no case for a second referendum on Scottish independence March 15, 2017 If there is one thing that we can be certain about following this week’s political events, it is that Prime Minister Theresa May is not simply David Cameron in a skirt. After a significant amount of establishment and media pressure to back down on her Brexit timetable and allow many concessions and delays, she has had her [...]
Tottenham confirm Harry Kane has ankle ligament damage but indicate striker could return for FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea March 14, 2017 Tottenham have indicated that Harry Kane could return from injury in time for next month’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. Spurs confirmed on Tuesday night that medical tests had shown that their leading scorer suffered ligament damage in Sunday’s 6-0 quarter-final win over Millwall. Kane faces an extended spell of recuperation but Tottenham emphasised that [...]