Podcasts related to Economics - UK

Despite targets to reduce household waste by 5% by 2016, the latest figures from food waste charity WRAP show that waste in the UK has in fact grown by 4% in recent years. But it's not just households which need to tackle the issue. Share Radio reporter Sara Macham spoke to Rich Watts from the Soil Association, who explained the scale of the problem across the food and catering industry as a whole.

Today on the agenda, Georgie Frost and Rachel Springall, personal finance expert at moneyfacts.co.uk discussed workers who can speak a second language earn around £35 a week more. Plus they look into why Aviva wants to shake up the ­sector and start giving discounts of up to 20 per cent. All these stories and more on The News Review. .

MPs will vote later on whether a snap general election can be held on the 8th of June. There'll be a debate in the Commons later followed by a vote - which needs to a two thirds majority to go through. The Prime Minister's said for months there wouldn't be an election before 2020 - but has changed her mind because of divisions within Westminster.

Georgie Frost was joined by Nigel Cassidy this morning for the latest market headlines starting with company announcements from Primark owner, Associated British Foods and luxury brand Burberry revealing a rise in UK sales. And Tesco is selling its optician business to Vision Express.

The CIPD warns that the UK is sleepwalking into a low-value, low-skills economy which leaves the nation ill-prepared for its post-Brexit future, particularly if the UK is to face restrictions on accessing talent from outside of the UK.

Now to Theresa May and her announcement just yesterday calling for a snap general election on the 8th June. She said Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the EU referendum. Explaining her decision was made because, "The country is coming together but Westminster is not." Today there will be a Commons vote on the proposed election, which is likely to go through.

An Indian businessman has appeared at a court in London yesterday and could face deportation back to Delhi under fraud charges. Vijay Mallya was once dubbed India's Richard Branson, but times have changed after his company Kingfisher airlines got into problems.

It wasn't just London shares sinking: Across the pond, the S&P 500 had fallen for the fourth time in five sessions by last nights close - weighed down by a big share fall for Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson following their quarterly results. The big question remains, will much of the supposed smart investment placed on Donald Trump's America prove less than smart?

Ed Bowsher is joined by Daniel Thomas, deputy companies editor at the Financial Times to discuss the latest company news, including Weetabix being sold to a US firm, and the effect the early General Election announcement has had on the markets.

The pound was firmly up after the surprise election news, wiping out earlier losses. To better understand the announcement's effect on the markets, Ed Bowsher was joined by John Barrass, deputy chief executive of the Wealth Management Association.