A surge in high-risk lending by financial institutions has triggered a warning from The Bank of England about the potential for another economic crash. The Bank says loans to companies already laden with debt are increasing across the world, similar to the sub-prime mortgage market that sparked the 2008 credit crunch. In the United States […]
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House of Commons speaker John Bercow could stand down next summer in the wake of a report exposing a culture of bullying and harassment in Parliament. He has told friends he will quit by July next year after ten years in the role, according to the BBC. The report by Dame Laura Cox accuses leading […]
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The novichok poisoning attack in Salisbury and its aftermath has caused a slump in the city’s house prices. Figures from the Land Registry show that property prices fell by almost 10 per cent after Russian exile Sergei Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia, 33, were attacked in March. A police officer, Det Sgt Nick Bailey, was […]
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Thousands of people have objected to plans for a huge housing estate at United States President Donald Trump’s golf complex near Aberdeen. The Trump Organisation wants to build 550 homes, golfing chalets and a sports centre next to the Trump International Golf Links north of the Scottish city. Planners have received more than 3000 objections […]
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Two senior Scottish Conservatives are said to have threatened to resign if any Brexit deal includes different arrangements for Northern Ireland. Tory leader in Scotland Ruth Davidson and Scottish Secretary David Mundell have written to Prime Minister Theresa May claiming any such arrangement would undermine the UK’s integrity. The BBC reports that both are prepared […]
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Britain’s most senior tax official says he received death threats after revealing that a customs arrangement favoured by Brexit hardliners could cost up to £20 billion. Jon Thompson, boss of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received two death threats and was forced to review security and change his route to work. They came after […]
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The U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK this summer ran up a security bill of almost £18 million. Policing Trump’s three-day visit cost an estimated four times more than that of the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said a “significant […]
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Tax rules which exempt the self-employed from paying national insurance are to be scrapped by The Treasury. The targets are a growing number of people who operate as private companies when accepting work. So-called ‘off payroll’ contractors now comprise a third of those claiming to be self-employed, the Treasury estimates. If it continues, the practice […]
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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has drawn widespread criticism from across the political divide for accusing the EU of ‘acting like the Soviet Union’ over Brexit. Mr Hunt’s remarks, in a speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham this week, were described as ‘ignorant and insulting’ by EU leader and diplomats. With the Brexit negotiations […]
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Wales could move towards independence from the UK if it crashes out of the EU without a deal, the new leader of nationalist party Plaid Cymru has warned. Adam Price, who replaced Leanne Wood, told The Guardian last week that no deal would spell economic disaster for the Welsh. He described a hard Brexit as […]
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