IMF chief Christine Lagarde praises UK economy – video
At a discussion about the global economy at the International Monetary Fund in Washington on Thursday, Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, says the United Kingdom is leading the global recovery in...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne declares pensioner bonds sale 'hugely successful'
Chancellor says more than £1bn worth of the government’s bonds have been sold to more than 110,000 over-65sMore than £1bn of the government’s new market-leading pensioner bonds have been sold to more...
View ArticleA county divided: is Lancashire ready for its fracking revolution?
In less than two weeks, two sites in north-west England could become the test bed for the shale gas revolution. But while some on the Fylde welcome the prospect of jobs and money, others fear possible...
View ArticleThinking of our fragile world is good business practice, says Davos co-chair
Katherine Garrett-Cox of Alliance Trust, who will be on the chairing panel at this week’s World Economic Forum, says leadership and sustainability top her agendaSnow and high winds in Scotland have put...
View ArticleDraghi primes his rocket, but could end up shooting Europe in the foot
The ECB boss was forced to make a move on quantitative easing as Switzerland stopped capping the franc, but six years after everyone else tried it, might it be the wrong weapon to use?Mario Draghi, the...
View ArticleUK’s regions cannot thrive with Whitehall in charge
The centralised, target-driven approach failed to close Britain’s north-south divide, but times are changingThe economy is recovering in London “but not here”. Outside the circumference of the M25 you...
View ArticleHarriet Harman says Obama wrong on UK’s economic recovery
Labour’s deputy leader contests Obama’s characterisation of recovery as having benefited most Brits, arguing it is ‘just working for a few people at the top’Labour’s deputy leader said Barack Obama was...
View ArticleUK’s north-south divide has widened, says thinktank
Centre for Cities says data shows gap has created two-tier economy as study urges politicians to devolve power to citiesHow UK cities compare for population, jobs, new businesses and house prices -...
View ArticleEbola kills far fewer than Aids, TB and malaria. What should we prioritise?
How should we be approaching disease, asks Bjorn Lomborg? By tackling one illness at a time, or by working on the entire health system?Find out how much has been pledged so far to treat EbolaEbola got...
View ArticleInequality isn’t inevitable, it’s engineered. That’s how the 1% have taken...
Unless we wake up to the fact that wild inequality isn’t just an unavoidable byproduct of growth, the gap will keep on widening• Oxfam report says half of global wealth held by the 1%Who will look...
View ArticleCameron backs Pickles over controversial letter to Muslim leaders - as it...
Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen, including David Cameron’s full employment speechCameron’s speech and Q&A - SummaryLunchtime summaryAfternoon summary4.17pm...
View ArticleWould you have a baby to keep your local public services going? | Fern Riddell
Women’s rights still take a back seat when it comes to government policy – like the dystopian deal brokered in one Danish communityWould you offer up your womb in exchange for public services? The news...
View ArticleLesson one from the Hinchingbrooke hospital scandal: beware the ‘mutual’ |...
Supporters of the flagship hospital said its structure was a blueprint for the future. In fact it was privatisation by another nameAdvocates of a market-led, partly privatised NHS for England have been...
View ArticleIMF cuts global economic growth forecasts
Recession in Russia and slowdown in China will outweigh global benefits of lower oil prices, fund update saysThe International Monetary Fund has cut its growth forecasts for the global economy on the...
View ArticleInside the National Gallery, a portrait of modern inequality | Polly Toynbee
The museum’s move to privatise its staff illustrates how wages have been squeezed across the countryThe National Gallery’s colonnaded splendour radiates across Trafalgar Square a sense of the...
View ArticleHarriet Harman dismisses Barack Obama's praise of David Cameron's handling of...
Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, criticises Barack Obama's knowledge of the UK after he backed the way the prime minister, David Cameron, is running the economy. Speaking on LBC Harman says:...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne: Britain needs to stick to economic plan - video
As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgrades the global economic forecast, George Osborne says on Tuesday that the figures show Britain is 'pulling ahead' but needs to stick to its economic...
View ArticleClash looms between state and corporations | Letters: Richard Wilkinson
A Fabian Society report urges Labour to be more “business-friendly” (Report, 16 January). But in This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein shows how the fossil-fuel industry has subverted environmental...
View ArticleGreece needs debts cancelled and growth | Letter from 35 economists
As economists, we note that the historical evidence demonstrates the futility and dangers of imposing unsustainable debt and repayment conditions on debtor countries; the negative impact of austerity...
View ArticleBank of England hawks change their minds on interest rates
Minutes show MPC agrees unanimously to keep record low rate of 0.5% as low oil price forces Martin Weale and Ian McCafferty to fall in lineSavers wanting an early rise in interest rates had their hopes...
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