News

Lib Dem conference in land of political make-believe

Imagine for a moment being a Liberal Democrat. No wait, come back—you can scrub yourself later.

So who would live in a house like this? Only the super-rich

A mansion in London’s posh Knightsbridge has gone on sale for £300 million—making it the most expensive house sale in British history.

A bonfire of regulations will help bosses make big bucks

The Tories have got a new scheme to end the recession.

Hedge fund boss Mitt Romney launches new hostile takeover

Mitt Romney is now the US Republican party’s official nominee to take on Obama in the presidential election. But just who is Mitt Romney anyway?

Behind bars at last: Asil Nadir, the man who bankrolled Thatcher

Around a month after the 1987 general election, Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher sat down to write a letter Asil Nadir, boss of fashion firm Polly Peck.

The big tax dodgers that the Tories' list somehow forgot

The government this week published a list of its "most wanted" tax dodgers—a rogues’ gallery of smugglers and VAT fraudsters.

Tory promises on Olympic affordable housing crumble

The Tories told us that the Olympics would create affordable homes for thousands of ordinary people in London. How’s that working out?

No Olympic boost as the Games just add to economic misery

The Olympics was going to be the event that saved Britain from the recession. Like the royal wedding and the jubilee before it, the hype was that it would provide huge economic growth.

Bankers break the law but they still walk off with millions

Barclays boss Jerry del Missier has walked off with £8.75 million despite admitting illegally rigging Libor interest rates.

Politicians might bicker, but they all still want austerity

It’s a little unnerving when the representatives of global capitalism say we need to make fewer cuts.

The Olympic Games will be great (for getting out of tax)

Poor old fat cats. They can’t even avoid their tax without causing a backlash.

Megabus raid: no smoking gun, just someone smoking

A man smoked an e-cigarette on a Megabus coach last week.

Why do the Tories bail out banks but not flood victims?

The Tories seem to think the "Big Society" can deal with the floods sweeping swathes of Britain. But it doesn’t look like it.

Forget Jimmy Carr: the real tax dodgers are the Tories

David Cameron called comedian Jimmy Carr "morally wrong" for using Jersey to pay just one percent tax on his £3.3 million income.

How the richest bosses in Britain bankroll the Tories

A quarter of the richest people in Britain are Tory party donors—and they have handed Cameron and co a massive £83 million.

Jubilee windfall buys Middletons’ mansion

Kate Middleton’s parents have splashed out £4.7 million on a new mansion after the queen’s jubilee got the tills ringing at their firm Party Pieces.

Benefits basher’s link to blue baron

More bad news for Newsnight’s political editor Allegra Stratton, whose vicious interview with a woman on benefits sparked outrage.

Fat cat of the week (and other stories)

Our fat cat of the week is Martin Baggs, chief executive of Thames Water.

David Cameron gets in hot water over his cuppa with Rupert Murdoch

David Cameron’s mantra about the Leveson inquiry is that all politicians "got too close" to Murdoch. But behind that is the truth about how deep he was drawn into the Murdoch web. Again and again he has had to admit more meetings with the Murdochs.

Olympic torch is a rich man's plaything

The 8,000 people who are going to carry the Olympic torch were supposed to be chosen because they were "inspirational". But the official list shows hundreds of torchbearers were selected just because they are bigwigs at one of the corporate sponsors.