Exclusive: Service sector confidence in Britain’s economy has rebounded since Liz Truss, research reveals February 8, 2023 Confidence in the state of the UK economy has rebounded since Liz Truss’ term as prime minister, new research shared exclusively with City A.M. has revealed. Execs working in the UK’s professional services sector are significantly more confident about the state of the British economy than they were in middle of 2022, data from the [...]
Legal & General CEO would like to see UK ‘move more quickly’ on Solvency II reforms February 8, 2023 Insurance giant Legal & General would like to see the UK “move more quickly” in reforming the EU rules that govern Britain’s insurance sector, the head of the FTSE 100 firm’s pensions buyout segment told City A.M. Andrew Kail, chief executive of L&G’s institutional retirement business, called for “clarity” on the UK’s plans to reshape [...]
Robot laws: First barrister to use AI in Old Bailey murder trial urges government to push forward cutting edge tech February 7, 2023 The first barrister to use an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool in an Old Bailey murder trial has called on the UK’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to invest in the cutting edge technology. Sally Hobson, a criminal defence barrister at London chambers The 36 Group, told City A.M. AI tech has the potential to “save huge [...]
UK in the dark about real owners of £6.7bn worth of British properties February 7, 2023 The UK government is still in the dark about who owns tens of thousands of British properties, after thousands of offshore firms failed to comply with new transparency laws, which campaigners said exposes the UK property market to huge money-laundering risks. There are almost 52,000 properties in Britain, worth a combined sum of £6.7bn, that [...]
Criminal prosecutors secure 15 per cent pay hike as part of emergency funding deal February 6, 2023 Criminal prosecutors in England & Wales will be given a 15 per cent pay hike to lure them back to court after striking an emergency funding deal. Barristers will receive the same fees for carrying out both defence and prosecution work after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) secured extra cash via a deal with the [...]
Tesla: Musk’s EV giant ready to enter UK insurance market with launch of London firm February 6, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla appears to be readying itself to begin insuring British drivers through the launch of its own London-based insurer. Elon Musk’s automotive company is seeking to open a UK branch of its Malta-based insurance business, filings to Companies House show. Tesla is also hiring a lawyer to work in its “full-stack [...]
Big Four look to hire London’s laid-off bankers to bolster their M&A teams February 6, 2023 The Big Four accounting firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – are seeking to hire laid-off bankers to bolster the ranks of their M&A advisory arms in the City. Top execs told City A.M. the world’s biggest professional services firms are seeking to capitalise on the downturn in big M&A deals by poaching talent [...]
EY says it does not owe ‘duty of care’ to taxman in fight over property magnate’s tax affairs February 6, 2023 EY has said it is under no obligation to help HMRC collect more taxes in defending itself against a High Court lawsuit over a British property magnate’s tax affairs. The Big Four accounting firm said it owed no “duty of care” to HMRC to have given it information that could have helped it collect more [...]
London’s litigation financiers primed to profit on global downturn, Therium chief says February 3, 2023 London’s litigation funders are in a prime position to capitalise on the global economic downturn, the founder of one the UK’s top lawsuit financiers told City A.M. The economic slump threatens to stretch in-house legal budgets and drive an uptick in legal battles, Therium founder Neil Purslow said, which could force companies and litigants turn [...]
Balli Steel execs found guilty of £120m fraud at collapsed trading firm February 2, 2023 Two Balli Steel executives have been convicted of using forged documents to mislead banks into lending the bankrupt commodities trader $150m (£122m). A jury at Southwark Crown Court today found Balli Steel executives Melis Erda and Louise Worsell guilty on six counts of fraud. Worsell, the managing director of Balli’s UAE business, and Erda, group [...]