Why the government will need to cut more “green crap” to save British industry March 11, 2014 The pressure for the government to cut more green levies is growing, ahead of next week’s Budget. Major trade bodies such as the Confederation of British Industry, the manufacturers’ organisation EEF and the Institute of Directors have already warned that charges such as the carbon price floor – that taxes fossil fuel emissions – are making [...]
Fallon boost to energy industry with tax cut hint March 10, 2014 GOVERNMENT minister Michael Fallon hinted at good news for the energy industry in the chancellor’s Budget next week, during a speech yesterday. The energy and business minister warned that green levies are still crippling the industry and keeping consumer’s bills high. In a bid to avoid job losses, Fallon said the government would look at [...]
Fancy a brew? Annabel Palmer talks craft beer with Draft House’s Charlie McVeigh March 10, 2014 Draft House founder Charlie McVeigh talks about the perils of the hospitality industry, and how he’s taking advantage of Britain’s real ale renaissance A CRAFT beer revolution has taken hold in Britain. Consumption of independently-brewed beer rose by 22.3m pints to 415m pints in 2012, according to the Society of Independent Brewers. And figures suggest [...]
How Ukraine’s unrest will affect prime London property prices March 4, 2014 World shares, particularly in banks, insurers, miners and energy stocks, have been hit as a result of the political tension and unrest in Ukraine. But what would be the cost of an economic fallout or any potential sanctions by the West against Russia have on the London property market? Joshua Raymond, chief market strategist of [...]
Putin defends Gazprom price hikes on Ukraine March 4, 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended a planned price rises for Ukraine by state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom. Speaking to a press conference President Putin said: They failed to pay off the debt, I think it's $1.5bn as of today, and if they don't pay for February it's going to be $2bn. So if you [...]
A trade war with Russia would be Lehman Bros 2 March 3, 2014 MORALITY and foreign policy make uneasy bedfellows. In 1997, when Tony Blair called for an ethical foreign policy, the country cheered; 17 years later, any politician calling for such idealism would be laughed out of town. After 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, the Arab Spring and so on, a battlehardened realism is the order of the [...]
Bottom Line: Three stocks that stand to lose big from the escalating market chaos March 3, 2014 1 BPTHE MOST exposed to Russia of the FTSE’s energy majors slumped 2.28 per cent yesterday despite a similar rise in the cost of brent crude. A hotly contested deal in 2012 saw BP take on a 19.75 per cent stake in Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft – whose shares dropped 4.1 per cent in [...]
Average energy spend soars by 55pc in 10 years March 3, 2014 AVERAGE household spending on energy increased by 55 per cent between 2002 and 2012, while usage dropped by 17 per cent over the period, according to data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The divergence between spending and use means that the increase in average spending is explained solely by rises in energy [...]
137 CEOs sign manifesto protesting EU energy policy February 27, 2014 137 CEOs representing EU manufacturing industry have put their name to a manifesto calling for major shift in the EU's energy and climate change policy. Published by the International Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (IFIEC), the document called for an industrial renaissance to be at the heart of the strategy to move Europe out of [...]
Tory policy is becoming a mess of contradictions February 24, 2014 AS RECOVERY becomes entrenched, it is easy to forget the sense of urgency of those heady days in May 2010, when the Tory-Lib Dem coalition agreement was thrashed out. The backdrop of the Greek implosion brought broad consensus on the need for a credible medium-term plan to repair the public finances. The Conservatives who, right [...]