Welcome to the Green Room: Boris needs to finally deliver Net Zero October 6, 2021 As Boris Johnson strides onto the stage at Tory Party Conference he’ll promise the earth – and talk about saving it. The environment is front and centre of British politics now and Boris has made no secret of his ambitions to go green. Last year, in typical style, the PM vowed that Britain could become [...]
Exclusive: Spectre of rising costs threatens to derail London recovery October 5, 2021 Businesses across London are under threat from the spectre of soaring costs. Almost half of firms in the capital are suffering from a sharp rise in energy, raw material and fuel costs, which is squeezing their margins “on several fronts”, the London Chamber of Commerce (LCCI) has warned. Richard Burge, chief executive of the LCCI, [...]
Conservative conference: Rishi Sunak declares the ‘future is here’ October 4, 2021 Rishi Sunak has declared the “future is here” in his party conference speech as he vowed to bring the UK’s economy into the 21st century. The chancellor said “I want tax cuts”, but that first “public finances must be put back on a sustainable footing”. It comes after the government recently increased National Insurance Contributions [...]
Rishi Sunak to unveil £500m extra funding for Covid jobs programmes October 3, 2021 Rishi Sunak will tomorrow commit to an extra £500m in spending to boost the government’s post-Covid jobs and skills programmes. Sunak will say in his Conservative party conference speech that he will “double down” on his promise to “do whatever it takes” to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods during the pandemic. It comes as the [...]
Sunak and Johnson strike deal to wean government off borrowing October 3, 2021 Prime minister Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak have brokered a deal to wean the government off borrowing to finance spending. Any new spending announced at the upcoming budget and spending review must be financed by reductions in spending elsewhere or tax hikes, Johnson has reportedly agreed to. The news was first reported by The [...]
Eurozone inflation ratchets up to 13-year high October 1, 2021 Inflation in the Eurozone soared to a 13-year high last month, posing more headaches for the European Central Bank. Prices in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose to 3.4 per cent annually in September from 3 per cent a month earlier, the highest reading since September 2008. The inflation clip came in ahead of [...]
Record high: Energy bills for 15m UK households to increase by at least £139 October 1, 2021 As suppliers grapple with soaring wholesale prices, energy bills for around 15m UK households will increase by at least £139 to a record high from today under Ofgem’s latest price cap. The regulator decided in August that energy customers on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see the sharpest jump in prices since the [...]
Tories told: Time to go for growth in budget as GDP gives some leeway October 1, 2021 CONSUMERS drove a faster than first thought recovery in the second quarter of the year. The Office for National Statistics yesterday upgraded GBP growth in the period from 4.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Economists, business groups and campaigners called on the Chancellor to use the additional leeway granted by the upwards revision to [...]
Just-in-time supply chains have left us dependent and with just-not-enough October 1, 2021 In the peak of the pandemic, songwriter Justin Vernon, known as the haunting voice of Bon Iver sang a searing lyric: “You at the corner store, you were stocking up before the storm.” As we watched hours of queues at petrol stations, we were reminded once again it was those who had filled up their [...]
FSB: Tax hikes risk severing Conservatives’ ties to business – CityAM : CityAM October 1, 2021 The Conservative Party’s ties to British businesses are at risk of being severed by looming tax hikes. The lobby group for British small businesses has slammed the Tories’ plans to raise national insurance at a time when firms across the country are grappling with higher costs and shortages. Also Read: Shortages and spiralling costs deal [...]