Government outlines plans to block ‘foreign influences’ from compromising UK universities June 13, 2022 The UK government is seeking to protect universities from “undue foreign influences that work against British values,” by forcing higher education institutions to report the financial links they have with individuals or organisations from overseas. The new rules, which could be introduced as part of an amendment to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, [...]
Government lambasted for ‘half-baked’ food strategy June 11, 2022 The UK Government was lambasted for delivering a “half-baked” food strategy for England, with critics especially concerned about the apparent lack of a tax on sugar and salt. The plan was initially announced by cabinet minister Michael Gove in 2019 to make sure food was “safe, healthy and affordable,” for all. Gove appointed the co-founder [...]
‘Appalling’: Prince Charles slams government’s Rwanda deportations June 11, 2022 “Appalling”: this is how Prince Charles has described the government’s plan to deport illegal UK migrants to Rwanda. The Prince of Wales, the Times first reported, lambasted the Home Office’s policy in private and said he feared it would overshadow this month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which he is to attend. “He said he [...]
MPs call for lower taxes as UK marks latest annual Tax Freedom Day since the early-1980s June 7, 2022 MPs have called on the UK government to cut the burden on UK taxpayers after new figures showed working people spent a higher proportion of their incomes on taxes than at any other point since the early-1980s. The calls come after the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) published new figures, for Tax Freedom Day, showing UK [...]
Glencore pays $1bn settlement to US authorities after admitting bribery in UK court May 24, 2022 Commodity trader Glencore has agreed to pay more than $1bn to US and Brazilian authorities to settle corruption investigations, after indicating it will plea guilty to bribery charges in the UK. Glencore said it will pay a combined sum of $1.06bn to the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and [...]
Government to face Atos in court following spat over £845m supercomputer contract May 23, 2022 The UK government is set to face IT company Atos in the UK’s High Court next month after the French firm filed a lawsuit against government over its decision to award an £845m Met Office contract to Microsoft. The French multinational is claiming its bid was wrongly excluded from the tendering process on the grounds [...]
Sunak poised to give poorest households £5-7.5bn to deal with cost-of-living crunch, Deutsche Bank says May 22, 2022 Deutsche Bank has said it expects the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will give £5-7.5bn in support to the UK’s poorest households to help them deal with the UK’s cost-of-living crisis. The chancellor could increase universal credit payments, give money to food banks, and help poor households pay for energy bills, in a [...]
Michael Gove: There won’t be an emergency budget to tackle the cost of living crisis May 11, 2022 Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has insisted there will not be an emergency budget to deal with the cost of living crisis. The minister made his comments on Sky News this morning after the prime minister told the Commons yesterday, that Rishi Sunak would be “saying more” on the UK’s response to rising inflation and [...]
ICAS calls for a UK tax strategy to support the transition to net zero May 5, 2022 | City Talk ICAS has issued a briefing paper ‘The role of tax in getting to net zero’, discussing how tax can be a vital part of the package of measures needed to deliver the UK’s ambitious target for reducing emissions. The UK’s Net Zero Strategy In 2019 the UK put into legislation a requirement to bring all [...]
UK avoided arming Ukrainians for fear of angering Putin, former ministers said April 23, 2022 The UK Government has avoided sending arms to Ukraine for the last seven hears out of fear of angering President Putin, the Sunday Times reported today. Former ministers said Boris Johnson and his two predecessors, Theresa May and David Cameron, have maintained a line of “appeasement” with Moscow since the country’s invasion of Crimea. “Some [...]