Budget 2021: Philip Hammond tells Boris Johnson to ditch big infrastructure projects March 2, 2021 Former chancellor Lord Philip Hammond has told Boris Johnson to ditch his plans for big infrastructure projects in the North, with the UK facing its largest ever Budget deficit. Hammond said today that a better way to enact Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda was for more devolution to regions, while also calling for tax rises and [...]
Treasury urged to focus on job creation amid UK ‘unemployment crisis’ December 14, 2020 The government has been urged to take a more active approach to job creation and keep public spending high to avoid “sleepwalking into an unemployment crisis” next year. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee said the Treasury should move away from wage subsidies and instead fund jobs in places they are needed such as [...]
UK missed out on £110bn of services exports after Brexit referendum, say wonks June 1, 2021 The UK has lost out on more than £110bn of services exports as a result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to a new study from Birmingham’s Aston University. Academics said services exports were £113bn lower between 2016 and 2019 than they would have been if the UK had not voted to leave the EU. [...]
Brexit: London Lord Mayor says government ignored City of London in negotiations November 22, 2020 The government has neglected the City of London in Brexit negotiations, according to the Lord Mayor of London. Lord Mayor William Russel, a former investment banker, said he had been disappointed by the government’s approach and that it had “missed the point” of the City of London. Russell is the 692nd Lord Mayor and acts as [...]
David Cameron ‘open to questions’ over Greensill lobbying April 13, 2021 David Cameron has said he will cooperate with a government inquiry into a lobbying row linked to collapsed finance firm Greensill. Boris Johnson yesterday announced an independent review into the way the former prime minister lobbied health secretary Matt Hancock and chancellor Rishi Sunak on behalf of Greensill and how contracts were awarded. The inquiry [...]
Baroness Lane Fox on digitalisation, accessibility and equality January 6, 2022 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Digitalisation is supercharging business practice, but it must not happen at the expense of accessibility and equality, Baroness Lane Fox tells Laurence Eastham Baroness Martha Lane Fox is one of the UK’s leading voices in technology and digital transformation. It’s a reputation that has been well earned, not [...]
Treasury and LSE call on EU for more co-operation on financial services post-Brexit June 15, 2021 The Treasury has called on the EU to engage more deeply with the UK government on the future of financial services post-Brexit. Katharine Braddick, the Treasury’s director of financial services, said today that both parties need to “get on” with outlining the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and EU on financial services. It comes as [...]
FTSE 100 pares gains as investors split on Sunak’s Budget March 3, 2021 The FTSE 100 pared some of its gains after today’s Budget, as investors reacted to a combination of further business support and future tax hikes. Having been up 1.2 per cent by the mid-morning, London’s blue chip bourse fell back to 6,639 points, up 0.4 per cent. Read more: Budget 2021: Live news and updates [...]
Next boss warns thousands of retail jobs set to become ‘unviable’ September 25, 2020 The boss of fashion retailer Next has warned that hundreds of thousands of retail jobs could become “unviable” due to a more permanent shift to online shopping caused by coronavirus. Lord Wolfson, who heads up the British high street chain, said there were tough times ahead for the sector, following the Chancellor’s announcement of the [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for more government engagement on financial services post-Brexit March 15, 2021 Sadiq Khan has called for the government to provide greater clarity for the City of London post-Brexit, with the mayor telling Rishi Sunak to “address the concerns of London’s financial and professional services sector”. Khan wrote to the chancellor today to call for the government to secure equivalence for the financial services sector, in order [...]