Information watchdog to crack down on Freedom of Information request failures September 11, 2022 The head of the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned public bodies it will take action against those failing to respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within the required 20-day time frame, after issuing its first enforcement notice against a government department in seven years. ICO chief John Edwards said the watchdog [...]
Solicitors watchdog to crack down on SLAPP lawsuits, SRA chief says September 8, 2022 The head of the UK’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has vowed to crack down on the use of spurious lawsuits to silence legitimate criticism. In an article in The Times, SRA chief executive Paul Philip said the watchdog is “committed to cracking down” on law firms using so-called ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation’ (Slapps). The [...]
Claimants pile into Dogecoin lawsuit against Elon Musk September 8, 2022 A $258bn lawsuit accusing Elon Musk of running a “crypto pyramid scheme” to bolster the price of Dogecoin has expanded to include seven new claimants and six defendants, including The Boring Company. The lawsuit, first filed in a New York federal court in June, accuses the world’s richest man of running a ponzi scheme by [...]
EY to let partners vote on plans for global split September 8, 2022 EY is to begin letting its partners vote on plans to split its consultancy arm from its audit business by the end of the year, with a view to reaching a final decision by early 2023. The Big Four accountancy firm has decided to move forward with plans to separate EY into “two distinct, multidisciplinary [...]
DWF bolsters offerings through acquisition of specialist cost-cutting firm Acumension September 8, 2022 London listed law firm DWF has acquired a specialist cost cutting company Acumension as it continues to expand its services offerings. The deal will see the law firm almost double the size of its DWF Costs business by taking on board Acumension’s 47 cost reduction specialists. DWF Costs, one of the UK’s largest legal cost [...]
UK’s new justice secretary Brandon Lewis to meet with Criminal Bar Association September 8, 2022 The UK’s new justice secretary Brandon Lewis has agreed to meet with the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) following former justice secretary Dominic Raab’s failure to meet with the barristers’ trade body. Lewis is set to meet CBA chair Kirsty Brimelow QC on Monday 12th September, after his predecessor failed to directly engage with striking barristers [...]
Audit watchdog’s Birmingham staff relocation plans still to be decided September 7, 2022 Ministers have not yet come to a decision as to whether staff at the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will be asked to relocate to Birmingham following the launch of the UK’s new audit watchdog, City A.M. understands. Staff were told that Birmingham had been picked as the home of the UK’s new Audit, Reporting Governance [...]
New justice secretary Brandon Lewis faces calls to ‘open negotiations’ with barristers September 7, 2022 Former secretary of state for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis is set to succeed Dominic Raab as the UK’s new justice secretary. The 51-year-old MP for Great Yarmouth is set to face immediate pressure from striking barristers following calls from the chair of the Criminal Bar Association for “substantial positive movement” from the government. The appointment [...]
HMRC calls on collapsed bank’s UK customers to hand over tax information September 7, 2022 HM Revenues and Customs has called on Euro Pacific Bank’s British customers to hand over information about their tax affairs, following the launch of a tax evasion probe into the Puerto Rican bank. The UK taxman called on the around 600 people in the UK who used Euro Pacific Banks services to come forward after [...]
UK’s cost-of-living crisis is driving uptick in scams, FCA exec warns September 7, 2022 A top executive at the UK’s financial watchdog has said the country’s cost-of-living crisis risks driving an uptick in financial crime. In a speech at the Financial Crime Summit, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) executive director Sarah Pritchard said “we are already seeing more scams,” as she warned financial crime is set to become “even more [...]