Sunak comes out fighting in defence of tax hikes and spending spree November 1, 2021 Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to swell the tax burden to its highest level in decades. Responding to a grilling from fellow MPs on the Treasury Committee, Sunak said last week’s bumper budget spending spree was designed to deliver on a “bunch of commitments” the government promised to achieve. The Chancellor’s decision [...]
Chris Woolard on BNPL, regulatory run-ins and getting financial rulemaking right February 2, 2023 The regulatory veteran wants a rulebook for the 21st century, but getting it right might trump speed, Charlie Conchie writes. Urgent. That was the word used by the former-interim chief of the City watchdog Chris Woolard when he gave his verdict on regulation of buy-now pay-later services in a landmark review two years ago today. [...]
Britain is being failed by a lumbering digital state September 5, 2022 If you’re struggling to heat your home, how would you feel if you just missed out on £1,467 because of a computer glitch? In May this year, Rishi Sunak was blocked from raising benefits in line with inflation. The culprit? A 40-year-old IT system unable to process more than one benefit rise a year. Ineffective [...]
Normal service resumed? CBI boss tells corporate Britain she’s turned the page on scandal October 2, 2023 Rain Newton-Smith is well respected in the City but scandals and questions over its long-term utility have left the CBI in a pinch
BP and Total Energies most exposed to North Sea oil and gas levy May 30, 2022 BP and Total Energies will suffer the biggest losses in earnings from the government's announced levy on North Sea oil and gas operators, says UBS.
Top talent, please come to Britain: New visa for graduates from top 50 non-UK universities May 30, 2022 Top talent from around the world is encouraged to come to Britain as graduates from the top 50 non-UK universities can apply from today to come to the UK through a new visa scheme. The Government hopes its “high potential individual” route, which launches on Monday May 30, will attract the “brightest and best”, at [...]
General election 2024: Do the spending promises stack up? June 13, 2024 We've reviewed the three major parties' policy pitches to determine whether their spending promises stack up. The answer, on the whole, is no.
Pension savers fear higher fees as Sunak eyes extra infrastructure cash October 14, 2021 Ministers are reportedly mulling a decision to dilute the 0.75 per cent cap on annual management fees, which would leave UK retirement savers vulnerable to high charges. The cap, put in place in 2016, protects employees who are auto-enrolled into their pensions from having their retirement pot eaten into by higher charges. It comes as [...]
MPs say government was ‘complacent’ on Covid fraud in new report April 27, 2022 The government was “complacent in preventing fraud” against the Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme and will lose almost £5bn to scammers, according to a Westminster committee. MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the £47bn loan scheme – which saw the government take on 100 per cent of default risk – was delivered at [...]
Cabinet backs plans to clampdown on tech giants with strict new content laws February 19, 2022 Home office plans to roll out world’s most stringent internet safety laws have won the backing of the cabinet as the government looks to shift responsibility for harmful online content on to tech giants.