Why on earth would HSBC leave a country that gives banks an easy ride? | Prem...
Bankers in the UK have faced no prosecutions – despite their serial abuses, and the catastrophic consequences of their actionsSo, HSBC is retaining its headquarters in London. Was there ever any danger...
View ArticleMisdiagnosis of what’s ailing the health service | Letters
I read Simon Jenkins’ article with great interest (Our adoration is killing the NHS. It needs tough love, 11 February). Unfortunately, it is hopelessly inaccurate. The 2004 offer to GPs brought their...
View ArticleCrime, terrorism and tax evasion: why banks are waging war on cash | Paul Mason
Governments would love to see the end of banknotes. But what would a cashless society mean for freedom?I can remember the moment I realised the era of cash could soon be over.It was Australia Day on...
View ArticleUK productivity gap widens to worst level since records began
Growing gulf means UK workers produce significantly less per hour than G7 averageBritain’s poor productivity record has been highlighted by government figures showing the biggest gap with other leading...
View ArticleWe need a new language to talk about the economy | Tom Clark
The images used by politicians can simplify difficult theories, but they are also being used to mislead usBanks trembling, shares tumbling and gathering fears of a new slump. The start of 2016 has been...
View ArticleRise in UK income tax receipts not enough to keep Osborne plan on track
Modest 4.7% rise in payments misses City forecast by £1.1bn and may thwart chancellor’s plan for dramatic cut in public borrowing this yearA modest rise in income tax receipts last month was not enough...
View ArticleOur quixotic prime minister may need Labour to save him in Europe
David Cameron is swimming in deep waters in Brussels: it may yet fall to his steady, broadly pro-European opposition to hand him a referendum victoryIn his Antimémoires, the French writer and...
View ArticleOffice for Budget Responsibility under fire over 'non-factual changes' to...
Treasury select committee chair says amendments ‘give the appearance of a minister trying to lean on the OBR’The Treasury select committee is concerned that the independence of the body set up by the...
View ArticleIMF urges G20 to take 'bold action' on global economy
Fund’s report says risks of more severe downturn are mounting as UK government battles sluggish productivity growthThe International Monetary Fund has urged the UK to ease back on austerity should the...
View ArticleWhile London rides the Crossrail gravy train, the north is stuck in reverse |...
Vanity megaprojects in the capital like the Elizabeth line and HS2 always win Whitehall battles, and can only spell doom for provincial spendingThere will be no Elizabeth tube line from Salford to...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne warns of further cuts as 'storm clouds' gather
Chancellor says he will address gloomy economic outlook in budget and ‘this country can only afford what it can afford’George Osborne has warned he may have to impose bigger than expected cuts to...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne is ‘trying to distract people from economic woes’
Stamp duty savings for homebuyers are an attempt to divert attention from further public spending cuts, says LabourThe chancellor was accused on Saturday of seeking to distract people from his...
View ArticleGet down from the roof, chancellor: there’s a storm coming
George Osborne has been determined to pursue cuts even as the economy struggles. But continued austerity now could be truly damagingSeven years ago this week, the Bank of England cut interest rates to...
View ArticleUnder cover of storm clouds, Osborne plans stealth tax subterfuge
While preserving tax rates of his core audience chancellor will ensure people pay extra without knowing he is to blameStealth tax enthusiast George Osborne is gearing up for more of the same subterfuge...
View ArticleUK policymaking 'jeopardised by rubbish official statistics'
Treasury select committee chair Andrew Tyrie calls for shakeup of Office for National StatisticsAndrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury select committee, has called for sweeping changes to how the UK...
View ArticleA manifesto for informed debate on the Brexit question | Letters
The debate on the EU referendum has thus far repeated that of the Scottish independence referendum – unlike parliamentary elections, where debate is (or can be) on policy built on evidence, a...
View ArticleBrexit would damage UK economy, warns BlackRock
World’s largest asset manager says vote to leave EU could trigger lower growth and investment in BritainThe world’s largest fund manager, BlackRock, has warned that a Brexit vote would damage Britain’s...
View ArticleWhy outsourcing is finally out of favour | Letters
It is unsurprising that councils are finding that outsourcing mega-contracts to large national companies is not the way to achieve efficiency (Why councils like Cumbria are no longer outsourcing...
View ArticleOnly a new capitalism can end inequality in Britain. This is where Labour...
Current economic policy is failing to prevent wage stagnation and increasing child poverty. Time to rewrite the rulesIt was the soundbite that helped elect New Labour. “Education, education, education”...
View ArticleIt's time for councils to stop out-of-control outsourcing
Local authorities are under pressure to contract out services, but a new campaign wants a public right to recall providers who do a bad jobUnder the previous, coalition government, local authority...
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