Build, Baby, Build: The Apprenticeship Levy is a tax by another name August 23, 2024 SME house builders need to attract young talent more than ever, but the inflexible Apprenticeship Levy is standing in the way, says Rowland Thomas The new Labour Government’s pro-development approach and commitment to getting Britain back building has been largely welcomed by the housebuilding industry. However, even if the Government delivers on its promise to [...]
Investment case for British Olympic and Paralympic sport is stronger than ever August 21, 2024 UK Sport CEO Sally Munday explains why funding has never been more important for continuing the success of British athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As the dust settles on the Olympic Games, I reflect proudly on what our British athletes achieved and how their performances touched the nation. And while there is sadness [...]
Social rent increases may not ‘move dial’ on housebuilding, Rachel Reeves warned August 21, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ plans to increase social rent may not “move the dial in a material way” on council housebuilding, a corporate finance firm is warning. The Chancellor will reportedly up social rent by bringing in a decade-long formula to raise housing costs in England boosted by the CPI inflation measure – currently 2.2 per cent [...]
Green energy plans could reduce costs for UK steelmakers, industry says August 20, 2024 Plans for the UK to become a green energy superpower could help reduce costs for British steelmaking, a supplier has said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited a wind farm near Carmarthen, west Wales, today as part of a trip to promote his ambition for renewable power through setting up GB Energy. The public company [...]
Mike Lynch: British tech mogul among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily August 19, 2024 One person has died and six are missing, including British tech mogul Mike Lynch, after a superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
Emergency move to avoid jail overcrowding may be used soon as rioters sentenced August 18, 2024 The government could trigger an emergency plan to avoid prison overcrowding “at some point next week” as rioters are sentenced, according to the Prison Officers’ Association. It followed reports in The Observer that the government could be about to trigger Operation Early Dawn. The long-standing contingency measure allows defendants to be held in police cells [...]
Yvette Cooper pledges crackdown on ‘hateful beliefs’ to counter extremism August 18, 2024 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to crack down on people “pushing harmful and hateful beliefs” and to “kickstart” a new approach to fighting extremism. The Home Office has commissioned a “rapid sprint” to drive a new practical approach to countering extremism. The project is being carried out to provide analysis and recommendations on how [...]
Heathrow Airport: Border force staff to strike bringing chaos to tail-end of summer August 16, 2024 Border force staff at Heathrow Airport are to strike for 23-days in a dispute over new terms and conditions. 650 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will walk out from 31 August to 3 September, with further disruption until 22 September. The hundreds of staff will be ‘working to rule’ and will [...]
Could data save the NHS? August 14, 2024 If we want a better future for the NHS, we need a collective commitment to ethical, transparent and innovative data practices, says Sir Nigel Shadbolt
Tory leadership race: Who is standing to be leader of the Conservative Party? August 13, 2024 Following Labour’s election victory on July 4, Rishi Sunak announced he would be standing down as leader of the Conservative Party. So, the race is on to find out who the next leader of the opposition will be, chosen by Tory MPs and party members. We’ve rounded up all the contenders, who will be whittled [...]