Share Sounds related to Economics - UK

Concerns have been raised after the National Grid decided to sell a majority stake in its gas division. A consortium led by Australian bank Macquarie will buy a 61% stake in the UK's gas infrastructure network, that values the business at about £13.8bn. But public services union, Unison, says that their tax structure is an area for concern, and that profits will take precedence over maintaining the pipelines. James Brydges spoke to Matthew Lay from Unison, but first heard from Dr Jonathan Marshall from the Energy Intelligence unit.

Helen Thomas, Managing Director of BlondeMoney, joined Share Radio Breakfast for the first instalment of her new slot each Friday. She's a blogger, worked in the city for George Osborne, and loves policy, politics and finance. This week, Helen discusses Mario Draghi and the ECB meeting on Thursday. The ECB president warned of a year of 'big uncertainty' for the Eurozone as voters go to the polls in Germany, France and the Netherlands.

McDonald's is to move its non-US tax base from Luxembourg to the UK, the company has said. The new holding company will pay UK tax on the royalties the firm receives outside the US. McDonald's said it had chosen the UK due to the "significant number of staff" it has in London. The Luxembourg tax affairs of the burger giant are currently under formal investigation by the European Commission. Clive Gawthorpe, Tax partner at UHY Hacker Young, joined Share Radio to discuss the move.

The historic Brexit legal challenge has drawn to a close. And it did so with a reminder from the Supreme Court that it will not "overturn the result of the EU referendum". A decision is expected by early January. To look into the key findings from the case, George Peretz QC from Monckton Chambers joined Share Radio.

Christmas is a time for sharing and caring but the majority of us won't visit our elderly relatives on Christmas Day - according to a new study - despite a fifth of us worrying about them being alone then. One woman has made it her mission to make sure no one loses out throughout the year. Share Radio Morning's Georgie Frost spoke to Devika Wood, the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at care provider Vida. Her personal experience of caring for her grandmother and dealing with par social service’s carers, has driven her to want to improve the quality of care.

Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by consumer editor of Good Housekeeping, Sara Benwell. Today they discuss coffee shop saturation on the high street. Plus a look into junk food ads aimed at children becoming a thing of the past. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Christmas cards may be going out of fashion...but one group of disabled artists say this is threatening their livelihood. 'Show you care - send a card' - is the message from the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Every year the MFPA print their original artworks on Christmas cards. But as the tradition for sending physical cards is in decline, so too does their business. Georgie spoke to Rosy Moriarty Simmonds OBE in the studio and MFPA artist Andy Baker on the line.

Legal disputes are costing small firms in England and Wales a whopping £11.6 billion each year. That's according to the Federation of Small Businesses who say nearly three quarters of those issues are down to late or non-payment. Georgie Frost spoke to FSB Policy Director Martin McTague to find out more.

Tata Steel has made a commitment to secure jobs and production at Port Talbot and other steelworks across the UK, unions have said. It could bring an end to eight months of uncertainty for thousands of workers who faced losing their jobs when Tata's UK business was put up for sale. Community Union made the announcement following talks with Tata and other unions Unite and GMB on Wednesday. But workers still have to agree to it and will be balloted in the new year. Councillor Anthony Taylor, former worker at the Port Talbot steel plant, joined Share Radio to discuss the deal.

Many of us are beginning to decorate our homes in preparation for the big Christmas holiday. Tens of thousands of Christmas trees from the British Isles are currently being sold from garden centres, but what should we look out for? Georgie Frost speaks to David Mitchell, the UK's leading Christmas tree expert for tips when picking the perfect Christmas tree.