6:45pm

Ministers urged to devise exit strategy for Help to Buy scheme

Head of mortgage body sees risk of disruption to housing market

The morning sun reflects on the sea beyond the chimney pots on rooftops of houses in St Ives on May 28, 2010 in Cornwall, England. A recent report has shown that in some parts of the town, over 35 percent of the houses are classed as second homes and overall the population of St Ives has dropped 13 percent since 2001 as a result. The coalition government is widely expected to increase non-business capital gains tax (CGT) in the next few weeks - which could see second home sales taxed at a rate of 40 percent or 50 percent from the existing level of 18 percent. Critics have claimed the increase is a tax on the middle class and punishes long-term investors and savers and will lead to a fire sale of property before the tax is introduced. Supporters claim it will bring fairness to the tax system and will possibly mean more affordable properties being available to local and first time buyers ©Getty 2:38pm

Mortgage approvals edge up in April

Banks optimistic about schemes to help first-time buyers

Chris Giles Chris Giles from COMMENT 6:55pm

Risk of creating another housing bubble

The chancellor should be working to build homes, not push prices up further

From UK POLITICS & POLICY 12:01am

Labour plan to merge small funds

Poor value pension schemes are targeted

Mario Draghi ©Martin Leissl From UK POLITICS & POLICY 10:31pm

Draghi calls for ‘more European UK’

Deep financial ties between eurozone and Britain, says ECB head

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne speaks at the Morrisons supermarket distribution centre in Sittingbourne, southern England ©Reuters Martin Wolf from COMMENT 7:06pm

Osborne should not be complacent

It is odd for the IMF to criticise the policies of a G7 member for being too tight

Activists Critical Of Corporate Tax Rates Demonstrate Outside Of Financial Institutions ©Getty From WORLD May 23, 2013

G8 and G20 focus on tackling avoidance

OECD draws up tax reform plans as calls grow for greater transparency

May 23, 2013

Number of ‘Neets’ in UK falls by 101,000

Young people not in work, education or training down since 2012

May 23, 2013

Data confirm 0.3% first-quarter growth

Expansion driven by growth in inventories and consumer spending

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde May 22, 2013

IMF pulls its punches in ring with Treasury

Billed fight turns into polite exchange over nuanced jargon

May 22, 2013

IMF urges UK to spend on infrastructure

Austerity criticism toned down but fund says more can be done

May 22, 2013

IMF adds to ‘Help to Buy’ critics

Fund fears plan will boost demand for housing and not supply

Chris Giles Chris Giles from COMMENT May 22, 2013

No magic pill for Britain’s economy

Hype over fiscal policy will detract from the rest of the IMF report

Editorial from COMMENT May 22, 2013

Noise and truths in the IMF’s verdict

Forget about fiscal policy – the urgent task is fixing the banks

May 22, 2013

Q&A: IMF’s assessment of the UK economy

Economic indicators improving but IMF urges government to do more

May 22, 2013

Mixed UK data ahead of IMF verdict

Retail sales volumes and state borrowing drop, tax revenues rise

Chris Giles Chris Giles from UK POLITICS & POLICY May 22, 2013

Scottish debate uses economics as weapon

The combatants share little common ground on the secession debate’s burning issues

May 21, 2013

Inflation fall boosts Osborne against IMF

Chancellor prepares to face criticism over austerity drive

Markets Insight from MARKETS May 21, 2013

Central bankers turn deaf ear to warnings

Yields on US and UK government bonds fell and their currencies appreciated, pointing to resurgent inflation

From MARKETS May 21, 2013

Pound slides on inflation slowdown

CPI of 2.4% for April was lower than expected

Jim Pickard and Kiran Stacey, FT Westminster correspondents, share the latest news and analysis on the UK's political scene.

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