Westminster watch: Four potential political scenarios to watch for in 2022 January 6, 2022 A new year has dawned on Westminster and 2022 is set to be another wild year in the world of British politics. With Boris Johnson suffering from the mid-term blues, Covid raging and Brexit far from settled there are bound to be many dramatic twists and turns this year. Here are four potential political scenarios [...]
The Big-Bang 2.0 fails to make City rules fit for an era of crypto and email not Telex July 28, 2022 THE Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, introduced last week, failed to usher in the “Big Bang 2.0” of financial services regulation we were promised. It is true that many of the initiatives contained within the bill are sensible, welcome, and necessary – but they are nowhere near as radical as what is required to [...]
London Marathon: Where are spectators being to told AVOID due to Extinction Rebellion disruption? April 19, 2023 Spectators have been urged to avoid a famous part of the London Marathon route on Sunday amid a planned protest, as a minister said Extinction Rebellion “must be stopped”. The climate group’s scheduled four-day protest in central London from Friday to Monday could see some 30,000 of its supporters in the Westminster area for the [...]
Britain’s financial future needs catch-up plan for young workers January 10, 2022 If lockdowns have taught us anything, it’s not to underestimate the power of a holiday. Two weeks on the beach feels like a valuable reward after two years of mentally draining restrictions. It is not surprising that travel companies are reporting an uptick in the booking of ‘big’ holidays. Part of that, of course, is [...]
Budget 2021: Bank surcharge slashed but lenders still stung by higher taxes October 27, 2021 UK banks will still be stung by a higher tax rate on their profits even though Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed he will slash the bank surcharge. Sunak told the House of Commons today that the bank surcharge will drop to three per cent from eight per cent in 2023. However, the increase in the headline [...]
Inflation sliding and tough Bank of England means the pound will see better days April 18, 2023 “Hope is not a strategy,” Jordan Rochester, a wonk at Japanese investment bank Nomura, said last September, referring to politicians’ attempts to revive the pound after it plummeted to its lowest level ever against the US dollar following Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini budget. A lot has changed since then. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt raised taxes [...]
BP scales back climate ambitions as outcry over £23bn earnings ignites call for tougher windfall tax February 7, 2023 BP has scaled back its climate ambitions, easing plans to slash the amount of oil and gas it produces to meet global demand.
Overhauling planning laws key to reviving fracking argues industry body August 26, 2022 One of the UK's leading energy bodies has warned that a revival of fracking has to be married with planning reform.
Sunak’s announces £30m boost for theatres and museums to buffer Omicron cancellations December 21, 2021 Rishi Sunak has announced this afternoon that there will be £1bn in support for businesses most impacted by Omicron across the UK, including £30m further funding through the Culture Recovery Fund to help support theatres and museums. The government will be allowing more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter, and [...]
Household energy bills to rise 54 per cent to nearly £2,000 per year February 3, 2022 Household energy bills will rise to £,1971 per year from April 1, after Ofgem announced its latest update to the consumer price cap.