Fresh data reveals the folly of Britain’s apprentice levy March 4, 2019 Today is the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an event that should celebrate the endeavours of ambitious young adults across the country. Unfortunately, however, it is impossible to mark the occasion without noting the disaster that the government’s Apprenticeship Levy has become. The tax was launched with the supposed intention of lifting the number of [...]
Gagging orders face the ban amid allegations against Sir Philip Green March 3, 2019 Leading politicians have vowed today to ban controversial “gagging orders” that have risen to prominence in the wake of recent harassment allegations made against retail tycoon Sir Philip Green. Ministers have revealed sweeping plans this morning to tighten rules around non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which have been at the centre of bullying claims surrounding the Topshop owner [...]
Pimlico Plumbers boss Charlie Mullins takes home £4.9m in dividends March 3, 2019 Plumbing millionaire Charlie Mullins bagged £4.9m in dividends from his Pimlico Plumbers business last year, according to new accounts. The figure includes £1.6m in post year end dividends. In addition to dividends, Mullins and his son Scott, took home a combined £711,512 in pay for their work as directors of the company, taking their income [...]
Carmaker Porsche facing German tax investigation March 3, 2019 Luxury carmaker Porsche is facing an investigation over alleged tax debts. The sportscar manufacturer said on Sunday that it was cooperating with German prosecutors in relation to its tax treatment treatment of employees taking early retirement and benefits given to former executives. The benefits are reported to include parties, private plane trips and chauffeur services. [...]
Bank of America Merrill Lynch edges ahead of JP Morgan Cazenove in battle of FTSE 100 brokers March 3, 2019 Bank of America Merrill Lynch has edged ahead of JP Morgan Cazenove to lead the battle for FTSE 100 clients as Wall Street banks continue to dominate corporate broking in the City. Bank of America Merrill Lynch gained two new clients in the blue chip index in the three months to February, giving it a total of [...]
UK ports propose 10-point plan to boost investment and trade March 3, 2019 A new 10-point plan to be revealed today will set out proposals aimed at boosting investment in the UK’s ports. The importance of the UK’s ports for business supply chains has been thrown into the spotlight by the potential for disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Read more: Government to pay Eurotunnel £33m over [...]
UK private sector growth stagnates as businesses prepare for Brexit March 3, 2019 Growth in the UK’s private sector stagnated in the quarter to February and activity could be set to fall in the coming months. A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey revealed the balance of distribution, manufacturing and services firms reporting growth had fallen to -3 per cent – its weakest since April 2013. Read more: [...]
Fintech firms to face increased scrutiny as regulators fear pace of change, KPMG warns March 3, 2019 Regulators are becoming increasingly concerned that the scale and pace of fintech development could harm consumers and threatened the financial system, according to a KPMG report. The report warned that regulators and risk experts were struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change and predicted a fresh wave of regulatory scrutiny in 2019. [...]
McDonald’s kicks off National Apprenticeship Week with 750 apprenticeships March 3, 2019 McDonald’s will today announce more than £2m worth of apprenticeship opportunities for new and current employees in the UK this year, making use of the government’s apprenticeship levy. The fast food chain plans to create 750 new apprenticeship spaces in the UK. McDonald’s promised last summer that it would employ 43,000 apprentices in Europe by [...]
Number of late night alcohol licences falls as consumer behaviour changes March 3, 2019 The number of pubs, bars and nightclubs with late-night licences has fallen by a fifth over the last five years as would-be revellers opt for dating apps and Netflix over boozy nights out, according to new research. While the number of pubs and clubs with 24-hour licences has dropped from 919 in 2018 to 742 [...]