Speaking in the House of Commons today, Chancellor George Osborne has warned that the UK can expect a long and tough recovery. His speech came as he defended the Government’s tough spending cuts, which many have been critical about – even suggesting they could push the UK back into recession. However, the Chancellor believes that [...]
One of the members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Paul Fisher, has argued that the central bank is right to keep interest rates low. His comments come despite leading business groups urging the bank to lift rates to combat soaring inflation, which is currently more than double its 2% target. Last [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron has stood firm over his Government’s plan to cut housing benefits. The opposition claimed the policy was a “complete shambles” but the PM defended the moves and said: “These are difficult changes but I think it is right.” The proposals include ending the “council housing for life”, which means tenants in [...]
Speaking to an invited audience at Bloomberg’s London offices, Chancellor George Osborne has today defended his massive spending cuts and insists there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, he agreed with Mervyn King’s prediction last week, who said the economic recovery will be “choppy”. He added that there is an improvement in [...]
In his first budget yesterday, Chancellor George Osborne defended his Government’s painful cuts and said if action is not taken, we will find our country on the “road to ruin,” According to figures from the Treasury, every household will be worse off as a result of tax rises and changes to the benefit system. The [...]
Chancellor Alistair Darling has been forced to defend Labour’s planned rise in National Insurance (NI) contributions after the Conservative Party said the hike would lead to job losses. Last month’s Budget confirmed that the Labour Government will raise National Insurance contributions by a further 0.5% from next year, on top of the 0.5% rise announced [...]
US food giant Kraft has today reinforced its belief that a tie-up with Cadbury would “represent a uniquely complementary fit”. Kraft is actively trying to convince Cadbury shareholders that a combination with its British rival could “deliver substantially more value” together and would benefit Cadbury staff as new jobs would be created in the UK. [...]
A member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has taken up the cause of would-be homeowners who need to borrow 100% of the value of a home. Kate Barker, who is also a Government adviser on the UK housing market, has publicly opposed Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his suggestion that such loans [...]
Short-sellers were blamed for the chaos in the City back in September and, in particular, for the near collapse of HBOS’ share price which then led to its merger with Lloyds TSB. As a result, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) imposed a temporary ban on short-selling in financial stocks until 16 January. Short-selling is when [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
