MPs say government was ‘complacent’ on Covid fraud in new report April 27, 2022 The government was “complacent in preventing fraud” against the Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme and will lose almost £5bn to scammers, according to a Westminster committee. MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the £47bn loan scheme – which saw the government take on 100 per cent of default risk – was delivered at [...]
Government adviser calls for taxation on EV tyres due to dangerous particles May 30, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) tyres should be subjected to taxation as they release dangerous particulate matter, according to the chairman of the government’s independent science advisory group on clean air. A professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, Alastair Lewis argued that particulate matter emitted from tyres is a much bigger risk to public [...]
EXCLUSIVE: Government and railway industry to be more ‘radical’ in R&D April 26, 2022 The railway sector and the UK Government need to be more “radical” when it comes to research and development (R&D) according to a paper published today. Through its Railway Innovation Strategy, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has called on the government to roll out more investment in rail innovation and provide funding, while asking the [...]
Government must ‘work night and day’ so UK doesn’t lose out on green jobs to other countries December 19, 2022 There is a critical five-year window to attract businesses in green sectors such as renewable energy and electrical cars to set up factories in Red Wall areas, a report has claimed. Think tank Onward said the government has a short timeframe to bring green jobs to parts of the Midlands and the North being targeted [...]
Government rolls out £635m to boost energy efficiency across public buildings August 2, 2022 Hundreds of public buildings across England could be eligible for energy efficiency upgrades, as it looks to drive down energy bills.
Government to review short term holiday lets like Airbnb in tourist hotspots June 29, 2022 The UK government said on Wednesday it was launching a review into short term rentals in popular tourism areas in England, including Airbnbs. Ministers said they wanted to support rental platforms like Airbnb but acknowledged concerns that such businesses could drive communities out of their area – for example if landlords opt to run their [...]
UK government must wake up to clinical research slowdown, industry body warns July 31, 2022 A slowdown in clinical research could hold Britain back in its bid to become a life sciences superpower, an industry body has warned. In a letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said “alarm bells” should be ringing across the government, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The letter [...]
The government should look beyond a windfall tax to see the merit of insulation May 24, 2022 Labour leader Keir Starmer taunted the prime minister at the dispatch box last week, gloating that a windfall tax – the flagship proposal from the opposition to cut down energy bills – was now “inevitable”. Such confidence from Starmer is not unearned, as it has been fuelled by a litany of u-turns from Boris Johnson’s [...]
Households backed with government grants to support ramp up of heat pumps May 23, 2022 Energy users can now apply for government grants to swap their gas boilers for heat pumps, after it opened its boiler upgrade scheme today.
Energy chiefs urge government to offer more support to households April 19, 2022 Chief executives at some of the country's biggest energy firms have called on the government to provide