Latest Budget Headlines Finance Leaders Rebuff PM's 'Bank Tax' - Sky News - Sun 08 Nov, 11:25 AM Pressure is growing on Gordon Brown over his handling of the economic crisis after the US treasury secretary rejected the PM's plans for a 'bank tax'. G20: Geithner Rejects Brown 'Bank Tax' Plan - Sky News - Sat 07 Nov, 05:49 PM US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told Sky News he is "not prepared" to support Gordon Brown's call for a financial transaction levy. G20: Geithner Rejects Brown 'Bank Tax' Call - Sky News - Sat 07 Nov, 05:21 PM The US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told Sky News he is "not prepared" to support Gordon Brown's call for a financial transaction levy. Brown says G20 should consider transactions tax - AFP - Sat 07 Nov, 04:53 PM British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the G20 here on Saturday to consider a tax on global financial transactions but the proposal looked doomed amid US opposition. PM Suggests 'Bank Tax' To Protect Public - Sky News - Sat 07 Nov, 02:19 PM Gordon Brown has called on G20 leaders to consider a tax on financial transactions to protect taxpayers and make banks more accountable. EU finmins to firm up pledge for 2011 fiscal exit - Reuters - Fri 06 Nov, 02:53 PM ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will affirm next week a pledge to slash budget deficits from 2011 at the latest after forecasts showed economic recovery would continue over the next two years, sources said. French budget deficit sinks deeper into the red - AFP - Fri 06 Nov, 12:54 PM France's central government budget deficit more than doubled over the first nine months of this year to reach 125.8 billion euros (187.5 billion dollars) due to shrinking tax revenues, the budget ministry said Friday. Bosses Battle For Top UK Airline Crown - Sky News - Tue 03 Nov, 01:12 PM Two of the most colourful characters in the budget airline industry are locked in a fierce new battle over who will take the most coveted prize - the title of top UK airline. Lookers bullish as Q3 'significantly' ahead - ShareCast - Fri 30 Oct, 07:46 AM The government's car scrappage scheme has done Lookers a big favour, helping the car dealer deliver third quarter results "significantly" ahead of both budget and last year's effort. Brown urges EU to maintain stimulus - Reuters - Tue 27 Oct, 09:09 PM LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday urged the European Union to maintain stimulus measures until recovery is embedded, warning of a decade of low growth and high unemployment without sustained action. Tories have no budget cut target yet - Reuters - Mon 26 Oct, 03:27 PM LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives want to cut the ballooning budget deficit quicker than the Labour government but have set no timetable for cuts, shadow chancellor George Osborne said in an interview on Monday. Conservatives have no budget cut target yet - Osborne - Reuters - Mon 26 Oct, 02:12 PM LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives want to cut the ballooning budget deficit quicker than the Labour government but have set no timetable for cuts, shadow Chancellor George Osborne said in an interview on Monday. FX markets midday update - Sterling stabilises after early falls - ShareCast - Mon 26 Oct, 12:42 PM Gordon Brown's comments that it would be "suicidal" to suddenly cut off the fiscal stimulus have served to undermine sterling further today, though it is off its Asia lows. Traders seem to accept as inevitable that the BoE will extend QE further at its November meeting. Brown Vows To See Britain Out Of Recession - Sky News - Sun 25 Oct, 11:24 AM Gordon Brown has pledged to get Britain out of recession by the end of the year, after new figures showed the economy is still shrinking. Darling says cautious, sticks to growth forecast - Reuters - Fri 23 Oct, 10:13 AM LONDON (Reuters) - Growth will return to Britain by the end of year, Chancellor Alistair Darling said on Friday, reiterating his Budget forecast after data showed the economy unexpectedly shrank in the third quarter. Government rejects King's bank splits idea - ShareCast - Wed 21 Oct, 04:45 PM Suggestions from Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, that big banks should split their businesses into utility and investment arms have been given short shrift by the big guns of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling. PM clashes with Mervyn King on banks - Reuters - Wed 21 Oct, 02:24 PM LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown dismissed Wednesday Bank of England Governor Mervyn King's view that splitting banks' retail and investment arms could help prevent a repetition of the financial crisis. Brown blames poor global regulation for bank crisis - Reuters - Wed 21 Oct, 12:27 PM LONDON (Reuters) - The financial crisis was caused by insufficient global regulation and was not due to a lack of separation between banks' retail and investment arms, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday. Geithner says focus still on U.S. economic recovery - Reuters - Tue 20 Oct, 11:23 PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration must stay focussed on ways to reinforce the U.S. economy's fledgling recovery and the time for tightening the budget will come later, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday. EU agrees on 2011 deficit cuts if recovery holds - Reuters - Tue 20 Oct, 02:03 PM LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Deep cuts to budget gaps in the European Union must start in 2011 at the latest if forecasts next month show stable growth, EU finance ministers said, but France complained November was too soon to make such a call. British public finances slump to record deficit - AFP - Tue 20 Oct, 01:46 PM Britain's deficit ballooned last month, reaching a record for September as the public purse buckled under the weight of a steep recession, according to official data published on Tuesday. British deficit surges in September: data - AFP - Tue 20 Oct, 11:26 AM Britain recorded a public deficit of 19.4 billion pounds (21.2 billion euros, 31.8 billion dollars) in September as the economy buckled under the weight of recession, official data showed Tuesday. Balanced budget needed by 2015/16 - Reuters - Mon 19 Oct, 06:54 AM LONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs to balance its public finances by the 2015/16 tax year to avoid undermining investor confidence, the Confederation of British Industry said on Monday. Iceland to finalise Icesave law - Reuters - Sun 18 Oct, 09:17 AM REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's budget committee will meet on Sunday to finalise a new law on reimbursing Britain and the Netherlands for deposits lost when the island's banks collapsed last year, the daily Morgunbladid said. US budget deficit hits record $1.4 trillion - AFP - Sat 17 Oct, 12:37 PM The US government closed its 2009 fiscal year with a record 1.417 trillion dollar budget deficit as it poured resources to contain a serious financial crisis that plunged the nation into recession. US budget deficit hits record $1.4 trillion: govt - AFP - Fri 16 Oct, 09:07 PM The US government closed its 2009 fiscal year with a record budget deficit of 1.417 trillion dollars, some 962 billion dollars higher than the prior year, officials said Friday. Tokyo freezes $33 bln spending plan - AFP - Fri 16 Oct, 09:41 AM Japan's government announced on Friday it would freeze spending of about 33 billion dollars from the previous administration's extra budget as part of its war on waste in the public sector. Japan govt freezes spending of 33 bln dollars - AFP - Fri 16 Oct, 07:42 AM Japan's government announced Friday it would freeze spending of about 33 billion dollars from the previous administration's extra budget as part of its war on waste in the public sector. Ageing Europe's pension bill to 'dwarf' crisis debts: EU - AFP - Wed 14 Oct, 06:18 PM A timebomb of crisis-fuelled government debt will be "dwarfed" by the burden that tens of millions more retired workers will have on European Union public finances in decades to come, Brussels warned on Wednesday. EU budget chief urges Latvia to stick to bailout deal - AFP - Tue 13 Oct, 05:38 PM The European Union's budget chief Joaquin Almunia on Tuesday urged Latvia to follow through with controversial belt-tightening measures agreed with international lenders amid rising political tensions. Market overview: FTSE 100 down 14 - ShareCast - Tue 13 Oct, 10:58 AM 1055: Whitbread is still the standout stock in the FTSE 100. While profits at the Premier Inn budget hotel and Costa Coffee owner fell in the first half, the firm has seen improving trends at both businesses. Kazakhmys is higher after the miner announced the sale of its 25% stake in a power plant in Kazakhstan. FTSE 100 down 14 at 5,196. Market overview: FTSE 100 down 8 - ShareCast - Tue 13 Oct, 10:08 AM 1005: Footsie is now sitting just above 5,200 points as banks and miners weigh. Lloyds Banking is the heaviest faller, with peers RBS and Barclays also lower. South America-focused copper miner Antofagasta leads the mining sector lower. Shares in Whitbread are higher after the Premier Inn and Costa Coffee owner reported an improving trend at its budget hotel chain. FTSE 100 down 8 at 5,202. Whitbread sees improving trend - ShareCast - Tue 13 Oct, 09:17 AM Whitbread reported a 10.4% drop in first half pre-tax profits but said it is now seeing an improving trend at its budget hotel chain Premier Inn. Market overview: Whitbread climbs after update - ShareCast - Tue 13 Oct, 09:13 AM 0910: Shares in Whitbread are higher after the Premier Inn and Costa Coffee owner reported an improving trend at its budget hotel chain. Miners and banks leading Footsie lower. FTSE 100 down 17 at 5,192. Market overview: Footsie suffers small loss - ShareCast - Tue 13 Oct, 08:34 AM 0825: The FTSE 100 is down 7 at 5,202, reflecting last night's performance on Wall Street where gains were trimmed after London closed. Miners are responsible for much of the early dip over here, with Randgold, Lonmin, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto reacting to weaker metal prices. Whitbread is the best of the early risers, adding almost 3% after it reported an improving trend at its budget hotel chain Premier Inn. ITV rallied 4% on news it is to raise £120m through convertible bonds and reiterated it has no plans for a rights issue. Latvia agrees drastic bailout cuts: government - AFP - Mon 12 Oct, 06:55 PM Latvia's government has agreed to live up to the terms of an international bailout for the crisis-stricken state by implementing drastic spending cuts, ministers said Monday. Britain unveils huge asset sale to cut debt - AFP - Mon 12 Oct, 04:22 PM British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Monday a 16-billion-pound sale of state assets including a high-speed railway and a betting service to cut soaring debt caused by the economic crisis. Govt announces massive £16 bln asset sale - AFP - Mon 12 Oct, 02:57 PM Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Monday a 16-billion-pound sale of state assets including a rail link between London and the Channel Tunnel to cut soaring debt caused by economic crisis. Britain announces massive assets sale - AFP - Mon 12 Oct, 02:25 PM British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Monday a 16-billion-pound sale of state assets including a rail link between London and the Channel Tunnel to cut soaring debt caused by economic crisis. Government's asset sale programme falls heavily on councils - ShareCast - Mon 12 Oct, 01:37 PM Gordon Brown has confirmed the government plans to sell off £16bn of state assets to help trim its soaring debts. More Budget Headlines