Business Secretary Vince Cable has said he could quit the coalition if he is “pushed too far” in negotiations with the Conservatives. Mr Cable, who is the most senior Liberal Democrat member of the coalition after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, told undercover reporters from The Daily Telegraph the situation in the coalition was like [...]
Social enterprise will have its own government minister if the Liberal Democrats win the general election next month. In their election manifesto published today, the Lib Dems pledged to build an environmental, sustainable economy. “We believe that mutuals, co-operatives and social enterprises have an important role to play in the creation of a more balanced [...]
A hung parliament would not necessarily be bad news for the UK economy, a number of financial experts have claimed. Melanie Baker, economist at Morgan Stanley, said because all the parties have a similar approach to the economy, a coalition government is likely to quickly agree on reducing the deficit. “The ultimate policy outcomes may [...]
As the Labour Government’s general election campaign continues, its latest pledge is to increase the basic state pension in accordance with earnings from 2012 – provided the party is re-elected. The pensions-earnings link was scrapped by Margaret Thatcher thirty years ago and replaced with the retail price inflation index (RPI). However, with pensions being linked [...]
The Conservative party is continuing with its election campaign by proposing to make four million married couples and civil partners £150 a year better off. The tax break would apply to basic rate taxpayers earning under £44,000 where one partner does not use their full personal tax-free income allowance. Speaking about the married couples allowance, [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK economy grew by 0.4% in the October to December period – slightly higher than the 0.1% and the 0.3% previously estimated. Today’s figures represent the third and final figures for growth in the fourth quarter and the ONS is scheduled release its first estimate [...]
The Pre-Election Budget will be delivered today by Chancellor Alistair Darling but he has repeatedly said there will be no “giveaways” ahead of the general election. What we can expect to see, though, are more details of how the Government expects to trim the budget deficit. Mr Darling has previously pledged to halve the budget [...]
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the Government to provide a ‘credible’ economic plan for balancing public finances by 2016 – two years earlier than planned. The business group believes that Chancellor, Alistair Darling, should use his last Budget before the general election to give more details of spending plans for Whitehall [...]
A report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has revealed February was the seventh consecutive month in which permanent places rose. According to the report, more full-time jobs were added in February than at any time since July 2007. The index, which is produced by Markit for the REC and KPMG, grew [...]
The pound plummeted to a 10-month low today over fears of a possible hung parliament in the forthcoming election. Sterling lost 1.6% and dipped below $1.50 for the first time since May 2009 – it has already lost 7% against the dollar this year. The pound also lost ground against the euro and many other [...]
The UK branch of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) is warning that Alistair Darling’s bid to postpone tackling Britain’s debt mountain until after next year’s General Election creates a real risk of the country’s credit rating being downgraded. The body, which represents practitioners in corporate renewal and turnaround management, believes the delay could have “severe” [...]
Speaking today at the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Prime Minister Gordon Brown told business leaders that in order to sustain economic recovery, financial stimulus measures will be kept in place for as long as necessary. The PM warned that economic recovery would be put at risk if official support was [...]
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, [...]
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