General Election 2015: Labour’s non-dom tax change would hit some of UK’s biggest banks April 12, 2015 Labour's pledge to scrap non-dom tax status would affect top employees at some of London’s leading banks, including RBS, Lloyds and Barclays. Under the non-domicile rule, those with a permanent home abroad currently do not have to pay UK tax on overseas earnings. Only their UK income is taxed, although they have to pay £30,000 [...]
General Election 2015: Six things you should know about the Conservatives’ inheritance tax cut April 12, 2015 If the Conservatives win next month's General Election, party leader David Cameron says he will cut inheritance tax on homes up to £1m in value. The proposal is being announced today, ahead of the launch of the party's manifesto next week. "We will take the family home out of inheritance tax,” Cameron is expected [...]
General Election 2015: Conservatives pledge £8bn a year for the NHS April 11, 2015 The Tories will inject an extra £8bn a year into the NHS if they win the general election, the party has announced. As part of a bid to revolutionize the health services, the Conservatives will guarantee over-75s same-day access to a GP and provide access to GPs on the weekends and in the evenings. [...]
General Election 2015: Tactical voting could save Scottish Labour from total SNP wipeout April 10, 2015 For several the months, the polls have been telling us Scottish Labour is facing electoral oblivion. No matter what he seems to do, Labour's leader in Scotland, Jim Murphy, cannot cut it with voters, and has failed to stem the rise of the SNP. But some new YouGov polling may provide some comfort to Labour's [...]
This man changed his name to Michael Green to challenge Tory chairman Grant Shapps for Welwyn Hatfield April 10, 2015 Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps is facing an unusual challenge in the seat of Welwyn Hatfield. Shapps will almost certainly retain the seat where he holds a 17,000 majority, but one of his rivals will bring up memories of one of his more embarrassing moments. Welwyn Council has confirmed that one of the opponents facing [...]
General Election 2015: Could the threat of Brexit trigger a second Scottish independence referendum? April 10, 2015 A push toward Brexit could trigger the SNP to push for a second Scottish independence referendum. The suggestion was made by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon during the Scottish leaders' debate on Wednesday. Challenged over whether her party would push for a second independence referendum, Sturgeon said the SNP was not "planning or proposing another referendum". [...]
Here’s why David Cameron’s plan for three days’ paid volunteering is bad for business April 10, 2015 David Cameron's plan to offer workers three days' paid leave for volunteering has come under fire from the business world. The Prime Minister has pledged that if the Tories win the General Election up to 15m workers in the public and private sector will be able to take paid time off for volunteering. In the [...]
Eric Pickles car crash interview: Senior Tory struggles to explain Cameron’s paid volunteering scheme April 10, 2015 Communities secretary Eric Pickles suffered a bruising encounter on Radio 4's Today programme as he struggled to explain Tory plans to give workers three days' paid leave for volunteering. David Cameron pledged a future Conservative government will offer workers in the public sector and big private companies three days' paid leave for volunteering. Large companies [...]
Secret plans are being drawn up to kick Greece out of the Eurozone April 10, 2015 Eurozone countries are formulating plans to boot Greece out of the single currency, as expectations grow that Athens may default on its debts next month. A memo put together by the Finnish Finance Ministry, a close Berlin ally, talks of “very difficult political decisions” as the currency bloc braces itself for Greece’s cash flow to [...]
Greece urges creditors to compromise on bailout April 9, 2015 Greece will strike a deal on its bailout loan before the end of this month even if it invokes a political backlash, but its Eurozone creditors must be prepared to compromise, finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said yesterday. Varoufakis’ statement came as Eurozone partners set Greece a deadline of six working days to improve proposed economic [...]