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☆ Human rights lawyer to political reformer: Who is Keir Starmer, the UK's new would-be prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks ahead of the U.K.'s general election on July 4, 2024. The left-of-center opposition party retains a commanding lead of around 20 points over current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll. But who is Keir Starmer — Labour's leader and the clear favorite to become prime minister after Britain's July 4 election? Starmer also served as a human rights adviser during former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair's Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement. Labour leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie with students after a campaign event at Three Counties Medical School on May 29, 2024.

Persons: Sir Keir Starmer, Anthony Devlin, Rishi Sunak's, Nigel Farage's, Keir Starmer —, Starmer, Margaret Thatcher's, Tony Blair's, Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer, Christopher Furlong Organizations: Labour Party, Getty, Conservative, Britain's Labour Party, Labour, Conservatives, British, National Health Service, University of Leeds, University of Oxford, Shell, Tony Blair's Northern, Service, Counties Medical School, Wealth Fund Locations: London, England, Victoria, EU, Britain

☆ How to buy a great bottle of wine—and which ones to 'stay completely away from,' according to a sommelier
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

We picked the wine store. Enlist helpYour best bet for getting a great bottle, Baker-Briggs says, is to have someone like him walking you through the aisles. And that's not a bad thing, provided you're looking at the right stuff. "No one making quality wine is putting those things on their label." However, that may mean the wine is mass produced and not the special bottle you're looking for.

Persons: Thatcher Baker, Briggs, Baker, crowdsource, " Baker, That's Organizations: Thatcher's Locations: France, Italy

☆ Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year. Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the UK press at the time, was Britain's Conservative leader from 1979 to 1990. "Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them," Starmer wrote in an article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. After hailing Thatcher, Starmer wrote that Labour had "changed dramatically in the last three years".

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Britain's, Margaret Thatcher, Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Thatcher, Tony Blair, Clement Attlee, Jeremy Corbyn, Victoria Atkins, Margaret Thatcher's, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Sunday Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

FALLING STARWhen Odey set up Odey Asset Management, it was in the afterglow of then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's deregulation of the stock market in London's 1986 "Big Bang". Privately educated at the elite Harrow school, Odey left Oxford University and began his career in traditional asset management before launching Odey Asset Management. But fund performance at Odey Asset Management has been a rollercoaster, with Odey renowned for taking risks. He liked to say leverage was like a drug - once you experienced it, you could never live without it, one hedge fund manager said. Lawmakers on Britain's Treasury Select Committee have written to the FCA to question the regulator's supervision of Odey Asset Management and Odey.

Persons: Crispin Odey, Odey, Banks, Robert Sears, CIOs, Don Steinbrugge, Margaret Thatcher's, Egerton Capital, Marshall Wace, Winton, Kwasi Kwarteng, Maiya Keidan, Nell Mackenzie, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Dhara Ranasinghe, Elisa Martinuzzi, Alex Richardson Organizations: TORONTO, Reuters, Odey Asset Management, FT, Tortoise Media, Odey, Management, Britain's Financial, Authority, Generation Partners, Odey's, HSBC, Inc, Wall Street, Agecroft Partners, British, Harrow, Oxford University, Conservative Party, Barclays, Peugeot, Hong Kong, Lawmakers, FCA, Thomson Locations: LONDON, City, London, Toronto

☆ The owners of a 1,900 square foot house next to the Masters golf course keep turning down millions of dollars to sell
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Augusta National has spent $200 million buying up property around the course for two decades. According to The Wall Street Journal, Augusta National spent over $200 million purchasing over 100 properties covering 270 acres since 1999. Here is a view of the house from Google Street View, with Augusta National in the background. It's like the Martians have landed," Pirample told Golf Digest. "I could do without the lights and the generators and all the noise," Kittie Baker told Golf Digest.

Persons: —, Steve Politi, Thacker, Stanley Dr, Augusta National's, Herman, Elizabeth Thacker don't, Elizabeth Thacker, NJ.com, Elizabeth, Graig, Peter Larson, Politi, Herman Thatcher's, William Thatcher, Hatcher, John Pirample, William Thatcher's, Pirample, Kittie Baker, Thatcher, hasn't, we're, Scott Brown, Sarah Stier, Emmett Knowlton Organizations: Augusta National, Service, Augusta National Golf Club, Wall Street, Independent, Google, Summer House Realty, Augusta, Golf, Masters Locations: Georgia

☆ Britons face biggest tax rise since 1979, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Britons face the biggest tax-raising drive since the start of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's term of office in the coming years as more people are pushed into paying the top rate of income tax, a leading think tank said on Tuesday. Britons pay income tax at a rate of 20% on income over 12,570 pounds ($15,865) a year and 40% on income over 50,270 pounds with a higher rate beyond that. Isaac Delestre, an IFS research economist, said inflation's recent surge was pushing up nominal earnings of many workers and dragging them into the higher tax rate bracket. The Conservative Party pledged not to increase income tax rates in its 2019 election manifesto. "A third of the expected record fall in household incomes this year is likely to be a result of this tax rise," the IFS said.

☆ We're having loyal Costco shoppers share their grocery lists with us. Here are their favorite things to buy there.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

Read Abigail Abesamis Demarest's full Costco shopping list: I've shopped at Costco for over 10 years. AdvertisementRead Lisa Tanner's full Costco shopping list: I'm a mom of 10 who's shopped at Costco for almost 20 years. Read Tara Zeller's full Costco shopping list: I drive 4 hours and spend $500 for every Costco trip. AdvertisementRead Majed Kassis' full Costco shopping list: I run a Costco fan account with over 390,000 followers. Read Rachel MacPherson's full Costco shopping list: I'm a personal trainer who shops for a family of 6 at Costco.

Persons: —, Abigail Abesamis Demarest, Demarest, chia, Read Abigail Abesamis Demarest's, I've, Alicia Diaz, Diaz, Kirkland, Alicia Diaz's, Lisa Tanner, Orville, Tanner, Rice, Lisa Tanner Tanner, Read Lisa Tanner's, who's, Tara Zeller, Zeller, Tara Zeller Zeller, Tara Zeller Costco, Read Tara Zeller's, Kassis, fryer, Majed, Candace Nelson, Candace Nelson Nelson, Nelson, Read Candace Nelson's, Salma Hamze, Salma Hamze Hamze, Read Salma Hamze's, Dana Engelbert, Dana Engelbert Engelbert, Engelbert, Read Dana Engelbert's, Gemma Acheampong's, Gemma Acheampong, Acheampong, Gemma Acheampong Costco, Read Gemma Acheampong's, Lizzy Briskin, Lizzy, Briskin Chock, Briskin, Lizzy Briskin's, Jordan Kuntz, Ina Garten, Change's microwavable, Read Jordan, Olivia Yi, Pesto, Olivia Yi Yi, Genovese, Olivia Yi Kirkland, Yi, Read Olivia Yi's, Rachel MacPherson, Rachel MacPherson Costco, MacPherson, Read Rachel MacPherson's, Chelsea Schnyer's, Chelsea Schnyer Schnyer, Chelsea Schnyer, margarita, Schnyer, Lou's, Read, Savannah, Frierson Frierson, Fry, Gabriella Sorrento, Gabriella Sorrento Sorrento, Read Gabriella Sorrento's, Elizabeth Blasi, Blasi, Read Elizabeth Blasi's, Alana Al, Hatlani, Benedict, Meredith Ochs, Meredith Ochs Ochs, Ochs, Meredith Ochs Kirkland, They're, Read Meredith Ochs, Veronica Thatcher, Read Veronica Thatcher's, Molly Allen, Allen, Read Molly Allen's, Janice Costa, Janice Costa Costa, She's, Costa, Read Janice Costa's, Karlin, Karlin Krishnaswami Krishnaswami, she's, Karlin Krishnaswami, they're, Read Karlin, Lindy Vogel, Vogel, Lindy Vogel's, Dominic Bucca, Dominic Bucca Bucca, Bucca, Read Dominic Bucca's Organizations: Costco, Service, Abigail Abesamis Demarest Costco, Starbucks, Kirkland, Kuntz, Chelsea, Read, Costa, Alaska Omega Locations: New York, Thai, They're, veggies, Ghanaian, mayo, Chelsea, Savannah, Alaska, Maldon

☆ Utah is poised to be the first state to pass a gender-affirming care ban in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Utah is likely to become the first state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors this year. The Utah Senate approved a bill Friday that would bar minors from receiving gender-affirming surgeries and place an indefinite moratorium on their access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Spencer Cox, who became the second Republican governor last year to veto a bill that bars transgender students from playing girls’ sports. Bri Martin, the editor of the student newspaper at West High School, described gender-affirming care as “nothing short of life-saving,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The bill also allows minors to sue medical providers for malpractice for gender-affirming medical care if the minor “later disaffirms consent” before they turn 25.

☆ Amazon warehouse workers at Coventry walk out over pay in UK first
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Muvija M | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid./File Photo/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) workers at a warehouse in central England will walk out on Wednesday in a months-long wrangle over pay, marking the first time the U.S. tech giant's operations in Britain have faced strike action. About 300 employees in Coventry are expected to take part in the industrial action, according to the trade union GMB. Amazon increased starting pay by 50 pence to a minimum of between 10.50 and 11.45 pounds ($12.95 to $14.12) per hour last year. The country's minimum wage, which is currently 9.50 pounds an hour, is set to rise to 10.42 in April. Amazon, which employs thousands of workers across its 30 warehouses in the UK, had then responded to say its pay was competitive.

☆ Britain's electric grid transformation was sparked by political cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( James O'Malley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. That didn't happen by accident: They are the result of a profound transformation of Britain's national grid. "The revenues you got as a wind generator were still tied to the market price, which is set by gas," Lord said. "The risk does not go away," Rahmat Poudineh, the director of research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies' electricity program, said. "Cornerstone of decarbonization"In any case, Britain's national grid today is in a much greener position than it once was, and the scale of the transformation is striking.

Average two-year and five-year fixed rates hit 6.65% and 6.51% on Thursday, according to Moneyfacts, the highest since 2008. FALLING PRICESA drop in gilt yields following Rishi Sunak's victory in the Conservative Party leadership race could potentially feed through to lower mortgage rates. But the number of loans available for first-time buyers remains at less than half those on offer before the mini-budget, according to Moneyfacts. NEW FIXESAs well as first-time buyers, brokers are dealing with thousands of people whose fixed rate mortgages are due to expire in the coming months. Redmond, who has had an offer accepted in east London, said it felt as though every turn of political event only made the fixed interest rate higher.

☆ UK's Channel 4 explores non-profit trust ownership, The Telegraph reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 22 (Reuters) - British publicly-owned broadcaster Channel 4 is exploring whether it could be acquired by a non-profit trust as an alternative to a commercial privatisation, the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFormer prime minister Boris Johnson's government was pursuing the sale of Channel 4, arguing such a move would ensure the future of the publicly-owned but commercially funded broadcaster. But the government changed tack after UK's Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said last month she was re-examining the case for privatisation. Channel 4 was created by Conservative former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s to deliver an edgy alternative to the BBC and ITV, with a focus on under-served audiences. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"I now expect the language of free markets and libertarianism to be consigned to scrap for quite some time. Truss had spent her summer campaign for the party leadership complaining about Britain's weak economic growth, productivity and low pay since the 2008 global financial crisis. Her solution was to challenge economic "orthodoxy" and demand faster, radical action to shake the economy out of its torpor. The Institute of Economic Affairs said of the economic plan: "This isn't a trickle-down budget – it's a boost-up budget." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ After just 44 days in office, Liz Truss is eligible to collect a £115,000 allowance for the rest of her life
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Liz Truss will receive a yearly £115,000 allowance for the rest of her life despite her short stint as Prime Minister. Enacted in 1991, Truss becomes only the sixth Prime Minister to receive the lifelong allowance. To be eligible for the allowance, you only has to have been a former Prime Minister, meaning Truss qualifies, despite being the shortest-serving Prime Minister in the nation's history. She will receive the allowance yearly for the rest of her life. In addition, Truss is entitled to receive a pension allowance of up to 10% of the £115,000 allowance.

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