Truss pledges to create ‘agriculture of the future’ by removing EU red tape August 1, 2022 Liz Triss will outline her plans today to remove EU regulations and make British farmers more competitive. The prime ministerial candidate will visit farmers in the southwest of England and highlight the “once in a lifetime opportunity” leaving the EU has given us to “truly unleash British food and farming”. She plans to ensure the [...]
House builder Crest Nicholson reports mixed fortunes with completions up but post-tax profits dented by uncertainty January 17, 2023 British housebuilding firm Crest Nicholson reported an uptick in revenue and completed homes last year despite continued disruption and pressure to supply chains. The firm’s revenue up until October 2022 was up 16 per cent to £913.6m, up from £786m in the pandemic-affected 2021 report. Home completions also increased by 13.6 per cent to 2,734, [...]
Recession kicked into long grass as UK steams ahead of Europe and US March 13, 2023 A recession hitting the UK economy is looking like an increasingly far flung prospect after yet more data today shows businesses and families are fending off the cost of living crunch. A net balance of 43 per cent of UK businesses are buoyant about the economy over the coming year, the highest level in a [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index dips below 8,000 point mark on interest rate hike fears February 21, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 closed below the 8,000 point today driven lower by a broad sell off fuelled by investors sweating over more interest rate rises from central banks. The capital’s premier index slipped 0.46 per cent to 7,977.74 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
National insurance cut by 2 per cent January 6, 2024 The main rate of national insurance was today cut by two percentage points, from 12 per cent to 10 per cent. The move, announced in last year’s autumn statement, was hailed by the Conservatives but Labour called it a “raw deal” and economists said many households are still facing the burden of high taxes. Chancellor [...]
Next apologises to staff for underpaying them for months after payroll malfunction July 17, 2022 Next has apologised to staff who have been underpaid for several months after a new IT system malfunctioned. Staff have been underpaid for months after payroll functions were outsourced to the US tech firm Oracle in February, according to The Sunday Times. The London-listed firm has been trying to solve the error for months, with [...]
Emergency talks: Chancellor and energy bosses hold crisis meeting as gas bills risk climbing to £4,400 August 10, 2022 Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will hold emergency talks with energy sector chiefs today as the price cap was forecast to hit more than £4,400 in January. In a new dire outlook for households, Cornwall Insight said bills are set to soar to around £3,582 in October, from £1,971 on Tuesday, before [...]
Online watchdog urges government to protect youngsters in crypto regulation plans July 5, 2023 A digital watchdog is urging regulators to ensure children and young people aren’t left vulnerable to crypto scams and investment risks.
Explainer-in-brief: Job-cutting government takes aim at civil service May 16, 2022 Boris Johnson is considering reducing the number of civil servants by more than 90,000, reaching an even lower level than what was planned pre-Brexit. Formal discussions will start next week, and will likely intensify tensions between ministers and civil servants. Relations have been strained recently, worsened by the row on working from home sparked by [...]
A struggle to get credit: Bank lending to hospitality nosedives following end of Covid loans CBILS and BBLS June 14, 2022 Outstanding bank lending to small businesses in the hospitality sector has fallen by more than £1.4bn since the end of CBILS and BBLS loans schemes. According to new data shared with City A.M., bank lending dropped to £14.6bn in April 2022, down from £16.08 billion in March 2021. With the cost of living crisis eating [...]