Government departments to examine ‘social value’ in procurement after Carillion scandal June 25, 2018 The government will force its departments to examine “social value”, and not just cost, when making procurement decisions, it will announce today. Bids by smaller firms, mutuals, charities and co-operatives for government work will also be boosted, David Lidington, Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy, will announce in a speech in London. The move [...]
Retail’s Super Thursday: The good, the bad and the ugly January 10, 2019 Today's so-called Super Thursday delivered a very mixed shopping basket of retail results, from some fresh bargains ready to be snapped up to others in danger of being labelled as out of date. Tesco, John Lewis, DFS, Debenhams and more released their results on a day dubbed Super Thursday, but which coincided with a dire [...]
Brexit could cost the construction sector thousands of workers and increase the skills shortage March 15, 2017 While the UK grapples with a skills shortage in the construction industry, new figures suggest Brexit will threaten eight per cent of the sector's workforce. Losing access to the EU's Single Market will put nearly 200,000 construction jobs at risk, a survey of construction professionals by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) will today reveal. According [...]
Greg Clark’s flawed and feeble remedy will fail to stamp out the late payment problem October 4, 2018 Brexit confusion, in-fighting, and leadership peacocking have marred both the Labour and Conservative Party conferences this year, but business secretary Greg Clark provided a glimmer of hope for SMEs this week. Large companies could be forced to nominate a board member to ensure that invoices are paid properly as part of a planned crackdown on [...]
Stock predictions 2019: Which stocks and shares will do well this year? January 2, 2019 After a tumultuous year in the markets with Brexit uncertainty, the threat of trade war and rapidly changing consumer habits, the FTSE 100 suffered its worst year since the financial crisis in 2018, ending it 12.5 per cent down. While there is no sign that 2019 will be any less eventful, with the date Britain [...]
UK construction output falls to lowest levels since 2012: ONS May 10, 2018 UK construction output fell 2.7 per cent in March, the biggest decline since August 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics. The three-month on three-month decline in the sector was driven by falls in both repair and maintenance, and new work, which fell 2.8 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively, the ONS said. [...]
Can you Brexit-proof your investment portfolio? September 16, 2019 The future of Brexit is unknown, but investors and traders need to be proactive if they are to avoid any sudden shocks. Here’s how you might Brexit-proof your investment portfolio. The UK hasn’t left the EU yet, but Brexit is already wielding its influence over the financial markets. For the past three years, investors and traders [...]
Trimley Lodge review: Spend a long weekend at this beautifully restored farmhouse on the Suffolk coast September 24, 2018 Unless you’re a particular fan of maritime trade logistics, the town of Felixstowe is unlikely to be high up on your list of places to visit before you die. It is, to the unending pride of locals, the UK’s largest shipping container port, and boasts waters deep enough to accommodate the latest generation of [...]
Theresa May’s crude policy is the wrong way to manage immigration October 11, 2018 The government's announcement of a new immigration policy post-Brexit has at least the merit of providing a clearer sense of direction – assuming Brexit happens and does so in a reasonably orderly way (which are some big “ifs”). The news also provides an opportunity to think, from first principles, what a sensible immigration policy should [...]
EU migration to the UK falls to lowest since 2013 | City A.M. July 16, 2018 Net EU migration into the UK fell to its lowest point since 2013 at the end of last year, continuing the marked decline in the numbers of EU immigrants which started at the time of the Brexit vote. Some 240,000 EU citizens came to the UK in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics [...]