UK to prioritise safety critical goods if rail strikes impact the whole network May 24, 2022 The UK will prioritise safety critical goods – including food and products needed for the energy and construction industries – if the rail strikes go ahead and disrupt the wider network. The government could be forced to reduce passenger services to make way for freight, causing significant disruption to travellers. “We will have to prioritise [...]
Strict EV targets risk increasing reliance on China, ex-Britishvolt boss warns October 17, 2023 Europe risks depending on China to meet its needs for EVs unless it waters down its targets, one of the founders of Britishvolt has warned.
Junior KPMG auditor ‘should have questioned’ manager’s instructions, tribunal says September 27, 2022 A 25-year-old junior KPMG auditor, who copied meeting minutes into a document as part of a scheme to deceive the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC), “should have questioned” his manager’s instructions, a disciplinary tribunal has said. Junior accountant Pratik Paw, who was asked to forge documents by his superiors during an FRC inspection of KPMG’s [...]
HS2 blamed for shortage in construction industry’s key concrete supplies October 31, 2021 Builders have blamed HS2 for hoovering up key construction supplies before ordinary customers can get to them, resulting in industry-wide concrete shortages and rising prices. The UK’s flagship rail project is exacerbating global supply chain issues caused by a HGV driver shortage and international shipping delays, construction firms have warned. As a results, builders working [...]
Berkeley warns planning rules and ‘regulatory uncertainty’ weighing down housebuilding goals June 21, 2023 Housebuilder Berkeley has warned the delivery of new properties is under threat from the planning environment and regulatory uncertainty, as it reported near 10 per cent profits before tax this year. More than 4,000 homes were delivered by the firm with over 85 per cent being on regenerated Brownfield land. It also said it’s delivering [...]
Long-term TfL settlement to lead to further strikes, says union August 31, 2022 The long-term TfL settlement agreed yesterday will lead to further strikes, according to the union RMT. The union said the long-term TfL settlement was an attack on “workers’ pay and pensions,” especially amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Members will throw a rally against the funding deal tonight, with US senator Bernie Sanders as special guest. “This [...]
Incoming CMA chair warns job cuts could make it harder to take on cases that protect consumers from high prices June 28, 2022 The competition watchdog’s ability to get the best deal for British consumers could be endangered by job cuts, the government’s chosen candidate for chair of the body has warned. The government intends to slash 91,000 civil service jobs over the next three years, in an endeavour to bring headcount back to 2016 levels. Ministers’ preferred [...]
UK economy shrinks 0.3 per cent amid recession worries June 13, 2022 The UK economy shrank in April, for the second month in a row, amid fears of a recession. Gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.3 per cent in April, following a 0.1 per cent drop in March, according to figures published by The Office for National Statistics on Monday morning. The drop was fuelled by a [...]
FCA investigates ‘crippling’ cladding insurance costs January 29, 2022 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is launching an investigation into the ‘crippling’ insurance costs paid by residents with cladding issues. In letters sent today to chief executives of insurance firms, the City watchdog said it will be investigating whether “products provide fair value and premiums fairly and accurately reflect risk.” The FCA will look into [...]
Tunnel vision? Why the approved Thames crossing at Silvertown could be in doubt January 30, 2021 London's new road tunnel at Silvertown was years in the making and given the go-ahead by Sadiq Khan in 2019, but ever since then opposition to the eastern crossing has grown.