UK immigration: Retailers call for simplification of the points-based immigration system after Brexit February 8, 2018 The retail industry has called for a simplification of the UK’s points-based immigration system after Brexit. In a submission to the government’s review of immigration, which is being conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the new system should be “quicker, simpler and less expensive” than the current points-based system [...]
Government to scrutinise employment status after rise of gig economy with Uber and Deliveroo February 7, 2018 The government will promise to scrutinise how workers are classified with a rising number of people working in the so-called gig economy, popularised by tech companies such as Uber and Deliveroo. Business and industry will be consulted on plans that could lead to changes to the current statuses that exist in law – employed, self-employed [...]
Thousands of Sainsbury’s jobs at risk as UK supermarket shakes-up management January 23, 2018 Thousands of Sainsbury’s jobs are at risk as the supermarket seeks to shake-up its management structure. The announcement comes shortly after Tesco put more than 1,500 staff into a consultation period as it prepared to cut around 800 jobs. Read more: Tesco announces it is cutting 800 jobs Structural changes in the retail industry, combined [...]
Inflation hit costs British households £24bn in 2017 January 15, 2018 The rising tide of inflation has cost British households an extra £24bn in 2017, with commuters suffering the most, new analysis to be published today will reveal. The increase in inflation seen from 2016 to 2017 cost Britons more than £900 per household, according to Simon-Kucher and Partners, a consultancy. The rise in transport prices [...]
As the new year starts Britain needs some economic resolutions January 3, 2018 It’s hard to like January as a month. The start of the New Year invariably brings with it resolutions to drink less – or even nothing – for a month, do more exercise and take more care over how we spend our money. In short, we make all sorts of promises to ourselves to live [...]
Patisserie Valerie’s parent company is hungry for acquisitions, says chairman Luke Johnson November 27, 2017 Luke Johnson, the casual dining sector veteran and executive chairman of Patisserie Holdings, has told City A.M. that his business is currently hungry for acquisitions. Patisserie Holdings, which owns cafe chains Patisserie Valerie, Druckers, Philpotts, Baker & Spice and Flour Power City, revealed in results today that it had £21m of cash on its balance [...]
This was a mixed Budget for British SMEs November 27, 2017 British businesses waited with bated breath for the chancellor to serve them another blow in his Budget speech last week. But Philip Hammond has finally cut small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) some slack, and dished out a number of policies to try to win them over. In his Autumn Statement last year, flat-rate VAT [...]
Failure to act on green belt a “big disappointment”, say Tory think tank Bright Blue November 23, 2017 The “big disappointment” from yesterday’s Budget was a failure to shake up green belt restrictions, according to a former minister and a leading Conservative think tank. While backing Philip Hammond’s stamp duty proposal, Bright Blue senior research fellow Sam Hall said the team had hoped reforms had been blocked because “the Prime Minister and others” [...]
Government debt to stay above financial crisis levels until 2060 says Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) November 23, 2017 Government debt levels will not return to levels seen before the financial crisis until 2060 owing to the UK’s weak growth prospects, according to an influential think tank’s analysis of chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget. Poor productivity forecasts unveiled yesterday by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forced the independent Budget watchdog to revise down [...]
Autumn Budget 2017 at-a-glance guide: All the announcements by chancellor Philip Hammond you need to know November 22, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled the Autumn Budget, saying the UK must “seize the opportunities” for Britain and promised to invest “to secure a bright future”. Now we’ve heard plenty about what was expected from today, from a concerted focus on housing, to a regulatory revamp for driverless cars and a slew of tech spending. [...]