DEBATE: After the attack on Sergei Skripal, should England’s football team boycott the World Cup in Russia? March 14, 2018 After the attack on Sergei Skripal, should England’s football team boycott the World Cup in Russia? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. Russia is a gangster state. It has murdered on British soil, invaded its neighbours and annexed their territory, sponsored the partisans who shot down Flight MH17, interfered with [...]
The social media battle against fake news has begun – beware your own emotions March 14, 2018 Did Donald Tusk, the former Prime Minister of Poland and now president of the European Council, conspire with Vladimir Putin to murder the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski? Many Poles believe this preposterous story, I learned last week at a fascinating conference on social influence at the University of Warsaw. In 2010, a Polish Air [...]
Institute of Directors confirms former Easyjet executive as interim chair March 13, 2018 Scandal-hit business lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD) has confirmed former Easyjet finance director Chris Walton as its interim chair. Walton’s appointment was ratified by the IoD’s council this evening following the recommendation of its board. The council also agreed that it was satisfied that council member Dame Joan Stringer had acted appropriately in [...]
Dana CEO to meet GKN shareholders in London as battle with Melrose heats up March 13, 2018 The race for engineering giant GKN is reaching fever pitch, as the chief executive of US axle firm Dana has come to London to meet top GKN shareholders. James Kamsickas is in the capital to persuade investors to back a $6.1bn (£4.4bn) tie-up between Dana and GKN’s automotive business, as opposed to an £8.1bn takeover [...]
Investors plan to plough even more into private equity this year – and get more back through distributions March 13, 2018 Investors in private equity funds are planning to plough even more money into the asset class over the next 12 months, according to a new survey, after a record year in 2017. These institutional investors, surveyed by adviser Rede Partners which helps match private equity funds with investors, are also expecting to get “significantly more” [...]
Spring Statement: UK “prepared to act unilaterally” on tech giants tax changes March 13, 2018 The government has said it is “prepared to act unilaterally” in order to ensure digital giants are paying the taxes they owe. Launched as part of Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement today, the new document reiterates the government view that the principle that companies should be taxed based on profits where they create value is being [...]
Tandem Bank buys fintech app Pariti March 13, 2018 Digital bank Tandem has bought money management app Pariti in a bid to expand the capabilities of its own offering. The deal, paid with a mix of cash and equity, means Pariti’s chief executive and chief technology officer, Matthew Ford and Peter Townsend, will join Tandem to help in the bank’s app development. The purchase [...]
Spring Statement 2018: Government hints at dropping £50 note, 1p and 2p coins March 13, 2018 The government has hinted that it may ditch the £50 note and 1p and 2p coins as part of a move to make cash fit for purpose. As part of a tranche of documents released for today’s Spring Statement, the Treasury has launched a call for evidence around use of cash and digital payments. As [...]
Broker TP Icap is in talks with European regulators to potentially shift from London post-Brexit, as shares sink on weak results March 13, 2018 TP Icap, the world’s largest interdealer broker, has revealed today that it is in talks with a number of European financial regulators about moving its “EU trading hub” from London post-Brexit. The firm, which matches buyers and sellers in financial, energy and commodities markets, promised in its full-year results that it would “do what is [...]
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) angling for increase in annual budget to take on “blockbuster cases” March 13, 2018 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is having “ongoing conversations” about the way it is funded after questions have been raised regarding its current arrangements. The BBC reported that the prosecutor was in talks with the Treasury to increase its annual budget, which currently sits at £31m. The body often asks the Treasury for an extra [...]