News List
Producers agree curbs on TV show phone-ins
Broadcasters have agreed to new regulations on their premium rate television phone-in shows as further evidence came to light of irregularities in the £1.2bn industry. Five, the RTL-owned channel, disclosed that the producers of one of its quiz sho
House inflation still too high for comfort
Three interest rate rises since August have cooled the housing market sufficiently to rein in runaway house price inflation but the rate of increases in house prices still remains too high for comfort, the latest FT house price index shows. Prices i
Bankersâ€
Recent interest rate rises have yet to lead to any significant cooling of the housing market but the trend for consumers to be more “prudentâ€
Cameron woos big business
David Cameron moved to build bridges with disgruntled business people on Thursday night by promising that a Conservative government would cut taxes and regulation. The Tory leader, who offended some CBI members by cancelling an appearance at the emp
Cameron fires MP for 'race in army' remarks
David Cameron sacked an MP from his frontbench for making "unacceptable" comments on race in the army. Patrick Mercer was forced to quit as shadow homeland security spokesman after claiming in an online interview that a lot of "idle and useless" eth
Tories eye IT savings via 'open source'
More than £600m a year could be saved if the government used more open source software, George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said. A Conservative government would "from day one" overhaul Whitehall's rules for buying information technology, to all
N Ireland takes step towards power-sharing
The British and Irish governments claimed on Thursday night that the Northern Ireland election represented a vote for a return to power-sharing, ramping up pressure on the Democratic Unionists to agree to sit in cabinet with erstwhile enemies Sinn F
Cloned meat could be allowed in EU
The prospect of cloned meat being sold in Europe drew nearer on Thursday after the European Union’s food safety authority was asked to rule on the matter. The European Commission said it had asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) look at
‘Super unionâ€
Merger plans to create Britain’s biggest trade union with strong positions in the banking, aerospace, car manufacturing and transport sectors were given the final go-ahead on Thursday. Members of the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus
UK to review tax relief for private equity
The Treasury will decide by the end of the year whether to introduce new curbs on the tax treatment of private equity, signalling the government may be prepared to rein in the activities of the contentious industry. Ed Balls, economic secretary, ann
BoE rate freeze signals ‘wait and seeâ€
The cost of borrowing stayed at 5.25 per cent on Thursday, signalling that the Bank of England is prepared to wait and see how successful previous interest rate rises have been in cooling the economy. Full coverage Video : Chris Giles on the outlook
Die Kanzlerin lies at the heart of Blair's positiv
Tony Blair will spend much of today in the company of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, at the European Council in Brussels. Although the Blair premiership is drawing to a close, the rapport between these two repays study. For the last decade, M
Spin doctor sets date for diaries
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's long-time spin doctor, is set to unveil his diaries within days of the prime minister's departure from Downing Street. Mr Blair's former director of communications and his right-hand man for nine years yesterday annou
Film world savours victory of tax U-turn
Served croissants and platitudes at Tate Modern early on Tuesday morning, leading film producers and investors seethed as Tony Blair lauded a "renaissance of British culture". He was making a rare rhetorical foray into the art world but his words ra
Bank case likely to change bonus practices
One of the most closely watched court cases involving employee bonuses has been settled - but lawyers predict that the underlying arguments, which could affect the way in which employers handle bonus arrangements, will resurface. The case - Takacs v
