The City bids farewell to Spreadsheet Phil June 21, 2019 In the drama of the Tory leadership contest, last night was a reminder that it is not only the Prime Minister to whom we will soon be bidding farewell, but the chancellor too. Philip Hammond’s speech at the Mansion House dinner marked his final major address to the City and the effective end of his [...]
Barack Obama’s memoirs to be published after US election in November September 17, 2020 The eagerly-awaited memoirs of former president Barack Obama will be published in the wake of the US election in November. A Promised Land — the first of two volumes — will be released globally on 17 November, the book’s publisher confirmed today. “There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,” [...]
Liz Truss hails ‘productive’ fourth round of UK-US trade talks September 22, 2020 Trade secretary Liz Truss today said the UK and US had made “significant” progress in reaching a trade deal after wrapping up a “productive” fourth round of talks. Truss said the two sides exchanged their first tariff orders and held a series of detailed market access discussions during the round. The US and the UK [...]
Mothercare finalises franchise agreement to sell products in Boots stores August 20, 2020 Mothercare has finalised a franchise agreement with Boots to allow it to sell products in the high street pharmacy chain’s stores. The retailer, which shuttered all of its UK stores after collapsing into administration last year, will sell Mothercare branded clothing, home and travel products in Boots stores from the Autumn. The franchise agreement, which [...]
Tax less, spend more: the Chancellor’s Summer Statement July 8, 2020 The Chancellor delivered an Economic Statement that may not have been heralded as a Budget, but nonetheless delivered some significant changes to the country’s taxation and spending regime. In what was clearly a ‘Tax Less, Spend More’ statement, Rishi Sunak delivered not just a VAT cut for the few, but spending grants for the many. [...]
Flutter hires former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as an adviser September 17, 2020 Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment has hired former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as an adviser, as it looks to tackle problem gambling. The former MP is a vocal anti-gambling campaigner who will advise Flutter on best practice in its shops, marketing, customer service and anti-money laundering procedures. Flutter told the Financial Times that the [...]
Stamp duty holiday: What does it mean for the UK housing market? July 7, 2020 In a “mini-budget” spring statement tomorrow chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a range of measures to boost the economy which has been ravaged by the coronavirus crisis. As part of the package the chancellor is reportedly planning to cut stamp duty for properties worth up to £500,000 in a bid to reinvigorate the [...]
Retail industry calls for VAT cut to be extended to struggling sector July 8, 2020 Retail industry experts have expressed shock and disappointment that the chancellor’s decision to cut VAT for hospitality firms did not extend to the struggling sector. Rishi Sunak today announced plans to slash VAT for hospitality and tourism businesses from 20 per cent to five per cent. The retail sector welcomed the support announced for employment [...]
Tech Weekly: Digital Minister Chris Philp on London’s global tech status April 29, 2022 In this week’s episode, Charlie Conchie talks to Digital Minister Chris Philp. They ask whether London is still worthy of its role as a tech hub, technology and its part in addressing the cost-of-living squeeze, and free speech and online security amidst the Online Safety Bill. Episode transcript (auto-generated) Host 0:08 Hello and welcome to [...]
German economy suffers record quarterly contraction August 25, 2020 The German economy shrank by a record 9.7 per cent in the second quarter of the year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on consumer spending, investments and exports. The contraction, announced today by the German statistics office, is the sharpest drop since the country began recording quarterly GDP calculations in the 1970s. [...]