Budget 2015: Six things we expect to see in Wednesday’s announcement from George Osborne March 15, 2015 There will be no giveaways in the 2015 Budget, George Osborne has said. The Budget will be aimed at those who have worked hard all their lives, the chancellor said. But with no giveaways on the menu, what can we expect? Osborne told the BBC there would be “no giveaways, no gimmicks”. “Everything we do [...]
East Coast rail line returns to private hands after Virgin Trains and Stagecoach bid to end public ownership March 1, 2015 The East Coast mainline returned to private hands yesterday following last November’s successful bid by Virgin Trains and Stagecoach to operate the line after five years of public ownership. The £3.3bn contract, which sees the consortium branded Virgin Trains East Coast running the line for the next eight years, has divided political opinion along party [...]
City jobs drive UK productivity as sector grows: Average finance worker contributes £85,000 to the economy each year December 21, 2014 The City is continuing to punch above its weight to boost productivity in the economy, figures out today reveal. Around 2.1m people now work in the finance and professional services industry across the nation. This represents only 7.2 per cent of the UK’s workforce, but contributes 12 per cent of the UK’s £1.5 trillion total [...]
These four charts show how much each region contributed to the UK’s economy last year December 10, 2014 George Osborne's dream of creating a “northern powerhouse” might have taken a step closer to coming true. Last year the North West and Wales had the biggest jump in gross value added (GVA) per head out of all the regions in the UK, with both up 3.4 per cent on the previous 12 months. [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: Rich pickings for George Osborne – banks, mansions, multinationals, tobacco December 3, 2014 George Osborne delivered sweeping reforms to property tax yesterday, in an Autumn Statement that aimed to raise extra billions from banks, tobacco companies, international corporations and buyers of expensive properties. Attempting to knock the wind out of Ed Miliband’s Labour party, the chancellor sought to neutralise several of the opposition’s key policies, taking on the [...]
London can’t build a robust UK economy alone: We must unlock the regions November 30, 2014 In my first official engagement as lord mayor outside the M25, visits to Liverpool and Manchester were ideal places to kick-start my programme for the year. While my time in each northern powerhouse city was limited, it helped to set my agenda for the forthcoming year. Politicians love the term “rebalancing the economy”. It’s kept [...]
Labour’s VAT jibe is political hot air, George Osborne won’t bite November 26, 2014 It’s that time of year again folks. The Christmas adverts have taken root on our TV screens and Marks and Spencer has its “tastefully festive” album playing in store. That’s right, the Autumn Statement is just around the corner and boy what a stocking full of goodies the chancellor is preparing to give away this [...]
HS3 from Manchester to Leeds: What is it, when will it be built and what will its route be? October 27, 2014 George Osborne's plans to create a "northern powerhouse" by cutting the time it takes to travel between Manchester and Leeds in half, have been embraced in a new report published by David Higgins today. In his report, the chairman of the much-maligned HS2 will say reducing the journey times between cities in the North is [...]
HS3 rail line: Cameron and Osborne back plans to cut journey times and create “northern power house” October 26, 2014 Both the Prime Minister and the chancellor will back plans for a high-speed rail line in the North of England dubbed HS3. The route will link Manchester and Leeds and is part of George Osborne's vision to create a "northern powerhouse" to extend economic prosperity beyond London and the South East. HS3 would slash the [...]
Boris Johnson: Don’t savage London powerhouse – Tory party conference September 29, 2014 Boris Johnson will today launch a valiant defence of London’s dominant position in the UK, telling the Conservative party conference that the capital’s success is crucial for British economic growth. He will also seek to boost his party’s morale in the face of recent defections to Ukip, warning Conservatives against jumping ship. Johnson is expected [...]