George Osborne likes to think the unthinkable: Now he should abolish the Budget March 16, 2015 It’s a well-known saying that “turkeys don’t vote for Christmas”. So calling for George Osborne to take to the despatch box tomorrow and announce that he’s abolishing future Budgets – in turn, greatly diminishing the Treasury’s power – might seem a fanciful plea. In truth, it’s about as likely as Ed Miliband offering journalists the [...]
A year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, has the West managed to contain Vladimir Putin? March 16, 2015 Timothy Ash, head of emerging market research (excluding Africa) at Standard Bank, says Yes To answer this, one has to understand Vladimir Putin’s overall long-term strategic objectives regarding Ukraine. If they are threefold – no EU, no Nato and no successful Maidan administration in Kiev – then the Russian President has unfinished business. The combination [...]
George Osborne Budget 2015: Here’s everything we already know March 16, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne is busily putting the finishing touches to his final Budget speech for this parliament, and while he's been keen to stress fiscal constraints mean it's going to be rather light on the ground, here's a quick round-up of what people think he'll pull out of the red box tomorrow: "No giveaways, no [...]
Where has Vladimir Putin been? The theories surrounding the Russian President’s disappearance March 16, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin finally made a public appearance this morning, after an 11-day absence. Putin turned up to a scheduled meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev in St Petersburg – and even took him "for a little drive", according to Atambayev. But the rumour-mill was working in overdrive during Putin's disappearance/ Here are the [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell in line for record £36m pay packet after 2014 success March 16, 2015 WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell is facing the prospect of a further shareholder revolt this summer with his remuneration for 2014 set to be £36m. Sorrell has fought several bruising battles with shareholders over the size of his pay packages in recent years, culminating with a heavy defeat in 2012. None of the recent [...]
Austere Greece? Not at the home of Yanis Varoufakis as seen in lavish Paris Match photoshoot March 16, 2015 Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has built his reputation on a steadfast fight against tough austerity rules forced on his country. Clearly he doesn’t hold with them at home either – judging by a lavish spread in the French magazine Paris Match, showing the economist at a piano in his living room and dining with [...]
Should chancellor George Osborne use the Budget to deliver a pre-election giveaway? March 15, 2015 John Longworth, director-general at the British Chambers of Commerce, says Yes. The current situation in the UK lends itself well to the chancellor being able to deliver a pre-election giveaway. Public finances have improved in recent months, the outlook for the economy is relatively positive, as highlighted in our recent economic forecast, and the OBR [...]
Budget 2015: Business rates could get a major overhaul in the budget as George Osborne reveals reform review plans March 15, 2015 A long-overdue review of how business rates are calculated could be in the chancellor’s package of budget promises designed to woo businesses in the run up to the General Election. George Osborne pleased British businesses by initially pledging that a review would take place in his Autumn Statement last year. Now further plans are set [...]
Tesco’s Dunnhumby: Is Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP about to take a stake in the supermarket’s data business? March 15, 2015 Tesco could be about to sell off a majority stake in its data arm that was responsible for creating the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme. The world’s largest advertising firm, Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP, has made an offer for Tesco's Dunnhumby, Bloomberg reports. Tesco brought in Goldman Sachs in January to explore options for Dunnhumby as [...]
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 [...]