Prime Minister launches investigation after furlough extension leaked November 7, 2020 Boris Johnson has launched a second leak inquiry in less than a week, after details of the chancellor’s extension of the furlough scheme appeared in newspapers before their announcement in the Commons. Rishi Sunak on Thursday extended the furlough scheme until March for businesses unable to operate during lockdown, while the BoE announced it would [...]
Wall Street slips but FTSE 100 rises as Joe Biden edges towards presidency November 6, 2020 Wall Street stocks slipped after a week of gains as Democrat challenger Joe Biden inched closer to the presidency, but the FTSE 100 rose on a mixed day’s trading. The S&P 500 dipped 0.2 per cent while the Dow Jones fell 0.3 per cent. The tech-dominated Nasdaq was 0.5 per cent lower. In the UK, [...]
UK house prices see fastest growth in four years but monthly rate slows November 6, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest annual rate since 2016 in October, new figures have shown, although month-on-month price growth slowed considerably. House prices jumped 7.5 per cent in October, according to the Halifax house price index, compared to 7.3 per cent in September. Yet growth slowed to just 0.3 per cent when looked [...]
Watchdog slams Number 10 for failing to prepare Brexit borders November 6, 2020 The UK faces “widespread disruption” after the government failed to prepare for post-Brexit border controls for British businesses, the public spending watchdog has warned. In an 85-page document released today, the National Audit Office (NAO) slammed the government for insufficient customs brokers, unprepared border sites and failure to develop adequate customs software. The report found [...]
Rishi Sunak’s furlough extension ‘to cost £6.2bn a month’ November 5, 2020 The chancellor’s extension of the furlough scheme until March will cost around £6.2bn per month, the Resolution Foundation think tank has said. Sunak today announced a major U-turn, saying he would extend the scheme until the end of March rather than ending it this year. The job retention scheme – commonly known as furlough – [...]
Editorial: Chancellor’s move is a five-point-turn that has already cost jobs November 5, 2020 If it wasn’t such a serious matter, Rishi Sunak’s description of his furlough u-turn today as the result of a flexible and agile approach would have been darkly comic. Because a U-turn it most certainly is, albeit not of the handbrake variety. Instead, it has been by degree, a five-point turn that has already cost [...]
US election: Stocks jump and FTSE 100 climbs amid rush into big tech November 5, 2020 Wall Street stocks jumped again and the FTSE 100 rose as investors snapped up big tech and sold government bonds and the dollar in response to the ongoing US presidential election. Prior to the election, investors had bet that a strong Joe Biden victory would lead to a big stimulus package that would encourage growth. [...]
Chancellor’s furlough extension ‘the right call’, say business bodies November 5, 2020 Business bodies have welcomed the chancellor’s extension of the furlough scheme until the end of March as “the right call”, but warned there was “more to do” to help businesses through winter lockdowns. Rishi Sunak today announced additional financial support for employees across the UK unable to work amid national lockdowns. The government will pay up [...]
Bank of England goes big with £150bn stimulus amid second lockdown November 5, 2020 The Bank of England will inject £150bn more stimulus into the UK economy to help it handle a new England-wide lockdown, and predicted that growth would go into reverse in the final three months of the year. The big increase in bond-buying – which came as the BoE left interest rates untouched at 0.1 per [...]
Rishi Sunak extends furlough scheme until end of March November 5, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme until the end of March, following days of wrangling over fresh financial support for businesses during the second national lockdown. The furlough scheme, which was due to wind down last Saturday, will be rolled out for the next five months — a year after it was first [...]