Exclusive: Whitehall frustration at Johnson’s October deadline for UK-India trade deal August 12, 2022 Whitehall officials have raised concerns about Boris Johnson’s October deadline for a UK-India trade deal, with suggestions the PM’s “freestyling” could mean a lighter agreement than originally hoped. Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed during an April meeting that there would be a “trade deal by Diwali”, which is on 24 October this [...]
Rampant inflation to swell government’s interest bill once again February 20, 2022 Soaring inflation will swell the government’s interest bill to eye-watering levels, official figures released this week are expected to show. The cost of servicing the UK’s stock of debt has already broken several records in recent months, including hitting its highest ever level for a December at £8.1bn. Fresh figures published by the Office for [...]
The Budget: Sunak returns pupil funding to “2010 levels” October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that per pupil funding would return to “2010 levels” in real terms by 2024-25, making an extra £4.7bn available. Sunak makes £2.6bn available for new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in England, more than tripling current capital funding levels to over £900m by 2024-25. On the pandemic, Mr [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak commits £46bn to railways October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a further £46bn on rail investment at this year’s Budget. The money is focused predominantly on boosting connectivity across the country. The Autumn Budget and Spending Review includes £35bn directly for railway connectivity over the next three years. It is also committing £5.7bn over five years in eight city regions [...]
Sunak absent: PM is ‘dead man walking’ say Tory MPs as Conservative calls for Boris Johnson to step aside grow louder January 13, 2022 Calls within the Conservative Party for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step aside are growing louder, as a number of senior Tories say he should go after Johnson apologised for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of No 10 during England’s first lockdown. The Prime Minister insisted he believed it had [...]
Budget 2021: Government to launch new Scaleup visa for high-skilled workers early next year October 27, 2021 In today’s Autumn Budget announcement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government will introduce a new Scaleup visa to attract highly skilled people from abroad to the UK’s fastest-growing businesses. The new visa plans will “make it quicker and easier for fast-growing businesses to bring in highly skilled individuals from around the world,” Sunak said. He pointed [...]
From Heathrow’s row to SAF: Here are the top five things to watch out for in aviation next year December 24, 2022 To say that the UK aviation industry has had an eventful 2022 would be an understatement. This time last year, airlines and airports were on their knees as the Omicron variant emerged from South Africa at the end of November and in a matter of weeks reached Britain, bringing with it a truckload of new [...]
Two thirds of employers considering pay cuts for remote workers – CityAM : CityAM August 16, 2021 As many as two thirds of companies are considering slashing the pay of staff who are hesitant to return to the office. Up to 68 per cent of businesses are debating whether or not to introduce pay cuts for staff who choose to work from home, according to a survey by HR software provider CIPHR. [...]
UK inflation climbs to more than triple Bank of England’s target March 23, 2022 UK inflation has soared to more than triple the Bank of England’s target, piling more pressure on the central bank to launch further rate hikes. Threadneedle Street is likely to pivot away from the dovish tone it set at its meeting last week after new figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
Laws, funds and CEOs: UK tech to see big changes in 2023 December 22, 2022 In 2023, London’s tech sector will see some big changes. From change in Vodafone leadership to the Online Safety Bill, here is a look ahead to the five big City stories to watch out for. Online Safety Bill As part of a move to a safer internet, the UK government is pressing for a comprehensive [...]