Written By Unknown on Selasa, 14 April 2015 | 14.47
By Joey Jones, Deputy Political Editor
The Green Party will launch its manifesto vowing to combat austerity which it says has "failed" and should be ended by a "peaceful political revolution".
The party has been more prominent than ever before in this election campaign, though its chances of building on its current tally of a single seat (Brighton Pavilion) remain limited.
The party leader, Natalie Bennett, is expected to argue its proposals represent a "genuine alternative to our tired, business-as-usual politics".
While ecological policies remain central to the Green brand, the party is making inroads into Labour and Liberal Democrat territory.
The party calls for what it describes as a fairer society, with the wealthiest paying substantially more in taxation and a desire to create many more jobs paying the living wage.
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In national polling, the Greens have at times leaped ahead of the Liberal Democrats at around 7 or 8%.
However, under a first-past-the-post voting system they are likely to struggle to translate their success into larger parliamentary representation.
Nevertheless, what party leaders describe as the "Green surge" is making Labour and Lib Dem rivals anxious and is shifting the dynamic in some marginal seats.
Video:Labour Manifesto: Do Sums Add Up?
The Greens' cause has not been helped by some halting performances by Natalie Bennett, most notably an interview with LBC's Nick Ferrari where she struggled to recall elements of party policy.
In recent weeks there are signs the leader has steadied the ship. She acquitted herself professionally in ITV's recent debate - but the knives will be out if there are any signs of frailty at this high-profile event.
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David Cameron will say he leads the "party of working people" as he unveils a Conservative policy to extend the Right-to-Buy scheme to a further 1.3 million families.
The promise will be one of two big housing announcements in the Tory manifesto as the Prime Minister launches his detailed election pledges in Wiltshire.
As well as extending the ability to purchase your home at a discount to housing association tenants, the party will promise a £1bn fund for building 400,000 new properties on brownfield sites.
Mr Cameron will say: "At the heart of this manifesto is a simple proposition. We are the party of working people, offering you security at every stage of your life."
He will talk about young people looking for training, people trying to find a decent job, to buy their own home, needing help with childcare or relying on the NHS.
Video:Need To Know: Labour Pledges
Other Tory policy pledges will include:
:: Raising the personal allowance for tax to £12,500
:: Increasing the starting salary for the 40p rate to £50,000
:: Raising the inheritance tax threshold for family homes to £1m
:: An annual £8bn boost for NHS funding
Mr Cameron's claim that the Conservatives are the party for workers comes after Labour said it wanted to be seen as the fiscally responsible option for government.
Mr Miliband has sought to highlight a number of policies put forward by the Conservatives that are unfunded - saying every Labour manifesto pledge will be fully paid for.
A senior Conservative source told Sky News that his party was not worried by the Labour promise because it meant the opposition was choosing to talk about an area in which it was "weakest" in the eyes of the public.
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He claimed the Conservatives had a "track record" that meant its promises would be believed.
The Right-to-Buy allows people to buy their home at a discount but has so far been available only to those in council homes, with some housing association tenants accessing the weaker "right to acquire" and some having no rights.
Under the new plans they will all be able to apply for the main scheme which can lead to a discount of up to 70% depending on the length of the tenancy. The homes will have to be replaced.
A Tory Government would fund the Brownfield Regeneration Fund, and replacement of properties sold under the extended Right-to-Buy, by requiring local authorities to manage their housing assets more efficiently.
They would also have to sell off their most expensive properties and replace them in the same area with normal affordable housing as they fall vacant.
Ministers say this will lead to the sale and replacement of about 15,000 homes a year, or around four in every thousand social properties.
Mr Cameron will add: "Conservatives have dreamed of building a property-owning democracy for generations, and today I can tell you what this generation of Conservatives is going to do.
"The next Conservative Government will extend the Right-to-Buy to all housing association tenants in this country; 1.3 million extra families; a new generation given the security of a home of their own.
Video:Cameron's Election Pledge
"So this generation of Conservatives can proudly say it: the dream of a property-owning democracy is alive - and we will fulfil it."
He will call on voters "not to waste the past five years".
Labour says the plans are unfunded, accusing the Tories of turning to the "magic money tree" to put forward its ideas.
Emma Reynolds, Labour's Shadow Housing Minister, said: "Having exhausted the magic money tree, the Tories now want people to believe that they can magic up billions of pounds a year from selling off a few council homes.
"Under David Cameron home ownership is at its lowest point for three decades - there are over 200,000 fewer home owners since 2010."
Ruth Davison, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the National Housing Federation said: "While extending Right to Buy will see some people being able to buy their own home with help from the taxpayer, these are people already living in good secure homes on some of the country's cheapest rents.
"It won't help the millions of people in private rented homes who are desperate to buy but have no hope of doing so, nor the three million adult children living with their parents because they can't afford to rent or buy."
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Poundland's revenues exceeded £1bn for the first time in its last financial year as it continues to expand amid the continuing consumer bargain boom.
Europe's largest single-price discount retailer said in its fourth quarter trading update that it expected to meet full-year profit expectations for the 12 months to 29 March.
Analysts are on average forecasting a pre-tax profit of £44m.
Poundland, which trades from 547 UK stores, 41 in Ireland under the Dealz brand, said sales in the 13 weeks to 29 March grew 7.1% at constant currency.
For the 12 months total revenue, excluding a trial in Spain, grew 11.8% to just over £1.1bn.
Poundland said it had opened 60 net new stores in the UK and Ireland in its last year and had a strong pipeline of openings for the current 2015/16 period.
It is looking to capitalise on the entrenched recession-era growth in discount shopping, which has taken sales from Britain's "big four" supermarkets.
Last week the group learned it would likely have to sell some stores to avoid its proposed £55m takeover of smaller rival 99p Stores being referred for an in-depth investigation by British competition regulators.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the deal, which would add 251 stores to Poundland's estate, could result in a substantial cut to competition and would face a further probe unless acceptable undertakings were offered by 16 April.
Poundland said on Tuesday it would make an announcement in due course.
Commenting on the results, chief executive Jim McCarthy, said: "After a solid quarter of sales growth, Poundland's revenue for the 2015 financial year was over £1bn for the first time.
"Despite tough trading conditions, Poundland continues to perform well and we served an average of 5.3 million shoppers a week during the quarter.
"We have managed our costs and cash well, and we expect underlying pre-tax profits to be in line with market expectations for the year as a whole.
"We achieved our target of 60 net new stores in the UK and Ireland and have a very strong pipeline of store openings for the current financial year.
"We expect to continue to deliver our growth strategy in the new financial year, notwithstanding some headwinds from a weaker Euro and a tough comparable in the first half."
Written By Unknown on Senin, 13 April 2015 | 14.47
A warning has been issued to those booking holidays online, as it is revealed that British holidaymakers were conned out of £2.2m last year.
Criminal groups have targeted online booking firms to steal cash from unsuspecting customers and many only find out they have been conned when they arrive at their hotel and find no record of their booking.
A report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found that in one case a holidaymaker lost £62,000 in a fraud relating to a dodgy timeshare scheme.
But losses are not just financial, with a third of victims saying the fraud has a substantial impact on their health as well as their finances and 167 victims said the impact of the crime was so severe they needed medical treatment.
The scams see a spike in the summer months and in December, which mean that many ruined trips will be for those trying to visit loved ones for Christmas.
The report shows that, during a 12-month period, 1,569 cases of holiday booking fraud were reported to the police action fraud team, with most relating to plane tickets, hacking accounts, posting fake adverts online and setting up bogus websites.
Sports and religious trips were an attractive target because of limited availability and higher prices and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and World Cup in Brazil were also targeted, with many people paying for fake tickets or accommodation.
Those aged between 30 and 49 were most often targeted and most victims were defrauded by methods such as bank transfers or cash with no means of getting their money back. Only a small number paid by credit or debit card where some form of redress is available.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: "Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but it can also have a high emotional impact.
"Many victims are unable to get away on a long-awaited holiday or visit to loved ones and the financial loss is accompanied by a personal loss.
"We would also encourage anyone who has been the victim of a travel-related fraud to report it so that the police can build up a case, catch the perpetrators and prevent other unsuspecting people from falling victim."
Detective chief superintendent Dave Clark, the City of London Police head of economic crime, said: "Online shoppers must be vigilant and conduct all the necessary checks before booking a break to ensure the conmen are kept at bay."
The Conservatives have said they will take family homes out of inheritance tax by introducing a new allowance which effectively increases the threshold for tax to £1m.
David Cameron said that if his party wins the 7 May election, parents will be offered a new £175,000 allowance to enable them to pass property on to children tax-free after they die.
For properties worth more than £2m, the allowance will be gradually tapered away so that those worth more than £2.35m do not benefit.
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Inheritance tax is currently payable at a rate of 40% on the value of an estate above the £325,000 threshold - or £650,000 if a couple takes advantage of the existing allowance.
Video:Day 14 In 60 Seconds
It is thought around 22,000 families will benefit from the move by 2020 and Mr Cameron said the costs would be paid for by a £1bn raid on pension tax relief for people earning more than £150,000.
Mr Cameron said: "We will take the family home out of inheritance tax.
"That home that you have worked and saved for belongs to you and your family.
"You should be able to pass it on to your children. And with the Conservatives, the taxman will not get his hands on it."
The Conservatives promised a £1m inheritance tax threshold in the 2010 election, but were blocked by Liberal Democrats from implementing it when in coalition.
Video:PM Outlines Tax Position
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky's Murnaghan programme it is the "wrong priority" and "won't affect 90% of estates".
She said: "They are talking about a £140,000 tax cut for properties that are worth around £2m at a time when you've got families still losing their homes because of the bedroom tax, at a time when pensioners and families have had to pay more VAT."
The Institute For Fiscal Studies said the change would "disproportionately" benefit those on higher incomes.
In an observation published on its website after the announcement, the IFS said: "Since the children of those with very large estates are disproportionately towards the top of the income distribution the gains from this (and in fact any) IHT cut will also go disproportionately to those towards the top of the income distribution."
Meanwhile, Labour has revealed its plans to crackdown on tax-dodgers if it wins the election, hoping to cut avoidance and evasion by at least £7.5bn a year by the middle of the next Parliament.
Video:Election: Seven Days, Seven Facts
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said it would take a Labour government to "call time" on the Tories' "lax approach", adding that Labour would set targets for HMRC to reduce tax avoidance by at least £7.5bn a year.
He said: "We will close the loopholes the Tories won't act on, increase transparency, toughen up penalties and abolish the non-dom rules.
"And our first Budget will make sure that, following an immediate review of HMRC, it has all the powers and resources it needs to come down hard on tax avoidance and evasion."
Conservative Treasury minister David Gauke said: "Ed Miliband and Ed Balls turned a blind eye to aggressive tax avoiding and evading for 13 years when they were in charge - they were the tax avoiders' friends."
The Lib Dems have also set out their tax plans, promising "light at the end of the tunnel" with moves to eliminate Britain's deficit by 2017/18.
Video:The Faisal Files: Day 13
Nick Clegg said his plan has "a heart as well as a brain", trying to drive home his claim that his party will cut less than the Conservatives and borrow less than Labour.
Spelling out plans for a consolidation totaling £27bn by 2017/18, made up of £12bn in additional tax, £12bn in public spending reductions and £3bn in welfare cuts, Mr Clegg challenged the other parties to spell out in similar detail how they would balance the nation's books.
He said: "We are going to spread the burden of finishing the job of fixing the economy fairly across society.
"Yes that means more cuts, but it also means asking the wealthiest to pay their fare share too."
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Genworth Financial, a troubled US insurance company, is in talks with one of the financial services industry's most prolific investors about the sale of a business that includes a range of products sold to UK customers.
Sky News understands that JC Flowers, a private equity firm, is one of several bidders in talks with Genworth about acquiring its lifestyle protection unit, which comprises operations in more than 25 countries, including Britain.
The division had been identified as non-core by Genworth's management as long ago as 2012, but it was only put up for sale late last year, when investment bankers at Barclays were hired to oversee an auction.
Bankers estimate that the division could fetch in the region of $500m (£341m).
In addition to JC Flowers, which owns stakes in UK companies including OneSavings Bank and Cabot Financial, a debt collector, Apollo and Warburg Pincus are said to have expressed an interest in the Genworth business.
Genworth Lifestyle Protection writes both direct and reinsurance business including to large global companies that want access to the wholesale market.
Its products include credit-linked protection for customers when they are unable to meet repayments on specific financial commitments in the event of illness, accident, unemployment, disability or death.
The division's auction comes as Genworth explores a wider break-up, including through a sale of its Life and Annuity Insurance Company.
In February, it announced a strategic after recording a $1.6bn (£1.1bn) loss in the second half of last year because it did not have suufficient money set aside to cover payouts on long-term care policies.
Speaking at the time, Tom McInerney, Genworth's president and chief executive, said: "I am disappointed by the continued challenges in our older LTC [long-term care] blocks and how it is overshadowing otherwise strong performance and momentum in other businesses, however we have taken steps on many fronts to deal with these challenges in order to strengthen and rebuild the future."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 12 April 2015 | 14.47
A warning has been issued to those booking holidays online, as it is revealed that British holidaymakers were conned out of £2.2m last year.
Criminal groups have targeted online booking firms to steal cash from unsuspecting customers and many only find out they have been conned when they arrive at their hotel and find no record of their booking.
A report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found that in one case a holidaymaker lost £62,000 in a fraud relating to a dodgy timeshare scheme.
But losses are not just financial, with a third of victims saying the fraud has a substantial impact on their health as well as their finances and 167 victims said the impact of the crime was so severe they needed medical treatment.
The scams see a spike in the summer months and in December, which mean that many ruined trips will be for those trying to visit loved ones for Christmas.
The report shows that, during a 12-month period, 1,569 cases of holiday booking fraud were reported to the police action fraud team, with most relating to plane tickets, hacking accounts, posting fake adverts online and setting up bogus websites.
Sports and religious trips were an attractive target because of limited availability and higher prices and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and World Cup in Brazil were also targeted, with many people paying for fake tickets or accommodation.
Those aged between 30 and 49 were most often targeted and most victims were defrauded by methods such as bank transfers or cash with no means of getting their money back. Only a small number paid by credit or debit card where some form of redress is available.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: "Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but it can also have a high emotional impact.
"Many victims are unable to get away on a long-awaited holiday or visit to loved ones and the financial loss is accompanied by a personal loss.
"We would also encourage anyone who has been the victim of a travel-related fraud to report it so that the police can build up a case, catch the perpetrators and prevent other unsuspecting people from falling victim."
Detective chief superintendent Dave Clark, the City of London Police head of economic crime, said: "Online shoppers must be vigilant and conduct all the necessary checks before booking a break to ensure the conmen are kept at bay."
With property prices rising and many young people still finding it hard to get a mortgage, more and more would-be homeowners across Britain are turning to one of the oldest methods of building.
Cob building involves using earth, sand, straw and clay as the raw materials for walls. It's estimated that a three-bed cob home would cost in the region of £25,000 to build.
All that's needed is a plot of land and planning permission - and the right knowledge.
Charlotte Eve runs classes on how to build cob homes from her Norfolk base and says that hundreds of people are signing up to learn the skills needed for their own projects.
Natural, cheap materials are used in DIY cob building
"You can't get more sustainable than a cob home," she told Sky News.
"You dig your foundations on site and you use the clay from that foundation trench to make your walls. It's very environmentally friendly and it's also cheap - cheap in terms of construction costs and also in terms of heating the finished home.
Video:Archive: House Building In Crisis
"Your costs for the project are extremely low."
Self building accounts for only 10% of the UK market. That's despite lower costs - £150,000 for the average project, which is £80,000 less than a ready-made home.
Tony Tkaczuk from Lancashire is working on an upgrade of his cob cottage and says he'd recommend a self-build to anyone.
Video:Archive: Osborne On Housing
"It's very fulfilling actually, you have done it yourself and that's a great feeling," Tony told Sky News.
"You can work together as a team, like my wife and I do. And at the end it's wonderful to think to yourselves 'yes, we did that'."
At the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in Watford, experts monitor construction trends across the UK each year. They point out that around 11,000 projects in Britain last year were self-builds.
Video:Experts Debate The Generation Gap
"There's a lot of time, energy and emotion required," said BRE's chief executive, Dr Peter Bonfield. "There are a lot of benefits to self-builds, you can feel really proud of what you have achieved.
"There are also a lot of professional companies out there doing this kind of thing day in and day out. So it's a choice really, a big decision for people."
The Government hopes self-built properties could help combat a housing shortfall of 750,000 homes across the UK by 2025.
The Conservatives have said they will take family homes out of inheritance tax by introducing a new allowance which effectively increases the threshold for tax to £1m.
David Cameron said that if his party wins the 7 May election, parents will be offered a new £175,000 allowance to enable them to pass property on to children tax-free after they die.
For properties worth more than £2m, the allowance will be gradually tapered away so that those worth more than £2.35m do not benefit.
Inheritance tax is currently payable at a rate of 40% on the value of an estate above the £325,000 threshold - or £650,000 if a couple takes advantage of the existing allowance.
It is thought around 22,000 families will benefit from the move by 2020 and Mr Cameron said the costs would be paid for by a £1bn raid on pension tax relief for people earning more than £150,000.
Video:PM Outlines Tax Position
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Mr Cameron will say today: "We will take the family home out of inheritance tax.
"That home that you have worked and saved for belongs to you and your family.
"You should be able to pass it on to your children. And with the Conservatives, the taxman will not get his hands on it."
Conservatives promised a £1m inheritance tax threshold in the 2010 election, but were blocked by Liberal Democrats from implementing it when in coalition.
Video:Miliband Wants To End Non-Doms
Labour Treasury spokesman Chris Leslie said the move was a "panicky promise from the Tories".
He added: "The Tories made a promise on inheritance tax before the last election and they broke it.
"At a time when our NHS is in crisis and most working people are paying more under the Tories, it cannot be a priority to spend £1bn on a policy which the Treasury says would not apply to 90% of estates.
"The Tories would choose to give a £140,000 tax cut for a house worth £2m while they have increased VAT on families and pensioners."
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Video:Nick Clegg Attacks Tory Tax Plans
Meanwhile, Labour has revealed its plans to crackdown on tax-dodgers if it wins the election, hoping to cut avoidance and evasion by at least £7.5bn a year by the middle of the next Parliament.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said it would take a Labour government to "call time" on the Tories' "lax approach", adding that Labour would set targets for HMRC to reduce tax avoidance by at least £7.5bn a year.
He said: "We will close the loopholes the Tories won't act on, increase transparency, toughen up penalties and abolish the non-dom rules.
"And our first Budget will make sure that, following an immediate review of HMRC, it has all the powers and resources it needs to come down hard on tax avoidance and evasion."
Conservative Treasury minister David Gauke said: "Ed Miliband and Ed Balls turned a blind eye to aggressive tax avoiding and evading for 13 years when they were in charge - they were the tax avoiders' friends."
Video:The Faisal Files: Day 13
The Lib Dems have also set out tax plans, promising "light at the end of the tunnel" with moves to eliminate Britain's deficit by 2017/18.
Nick Clegg said his plan has "a heart as well as a brain", trying to drive home his claim that his party will cut less than the Conservatives and borrow less than Labour.
Spelling out plans for a consolidation totaling £27bn by 2017/18, made up of £12bn in additional tax, £12bn in public spending reductions and £3bn in welfare cuts, Mr Clegg will challenge the other parties to spell out in similar detail how they would balance the nation's books.
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 11 April 2015 | 14.47
Rail fares will be frozen in real terms for five years if the Tories win the General Election, David Cameron has pledged.
The Prime Minister said extending the Retail Price Index inflation cap on regulated ticket prices until 2020 would save the average commuter £400.
The coalition has imposed the same restrictions for the past two years, and also removed the "'flex" train that allowed operators to increase some fares by more than inflation as long as others went up by less.
According to the Conservatives, the policy means commuters are already paying £75 less than they would have been.
The announcement is part of an effort to blunt the Labour attack over the cost of living, and accusations that most people are not benefiting from the economic recovery.
Video:Prime Minister Explains Fare Rises
Mr Cameron, who is campaigning in the south west today, said: "The cost of commuting is one of the biggest household bills that hardworking families face and it is something we are determined to bear down on.
"It shouldn't just be taken for granted that people across the country who get up early and come home late, spend a large amount of the money they earn travelling to and from work.
"Because of the difficult decisions that we have taken to repair the economy, we have been able to hold down commuter fares for the past two years.
Video:Passengers Want 'Value for Money'
"If elected in May, we would freeze them in real terms for the next five."
But Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: "This latest stunt would still mean annual fare increases that would institutionalise the harsh reality that the British passenger pays the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed out and unreliable trains.
"The only solution is to end the rip off of rail privatisation which would allow us to free up the hundreds of millions of pounds drained off in profits to invest in services and cut fares."
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