Shares in recruiter Pagegroup tumble as it warns on profits for second time October 8, 2019 Recruiter Pagegroup delivered its second profit warning of 2019 today sending shares tumbling, blaming challenging trading conditions in the UK, France and China and deteriorating economic conditions in markets such as Germany. The recruiter cut its forecast for 2019 operating profit to between £140m and £150m, down from earlier market estimates of between £156.5m and [...]
BDO profits jump as partners enjoy pay rise October 7, 2019 BDO has reported a double-digit rise in profit and revenue for the last 12 months, as the accountancy giant ramped up the pressure on its larger under-fire Big Four rivals The beancounter enjoyed its seventh consecutive year of growth after profits rose 26 per cent to £134m and revenues jumped 25 per cent to £578m. [...]
Ex-Freshfields lawyer accused of lying about sex assault allegations October 2, 2019 An ex-Freshfields lawyer was today accused of fabricating her account of an alleged non-consensual sexual encounter with a married partner at the firm. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard evidence from the unnamed female lawyer, known as Person A, who accused Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith, 41, of sexually assaulting her at her flat after an evening [...]
Trying to impeach Boris would be an unmitigated catastrophe October 2, 2019 Rumours are swirling in Westminster of a plot to impeach Boris Johnson. The news broke over the weekend that, inspired perhaps by the US Democrats’ move against Donald Trump, opposition parties are considering moving to strip the Prime Minister of his position. This is foolish and dangerous. For a start, it is entirely unclear if [...]
DEBATE: Have the Conservatives re-established themselves as the party of law and order? October 2, 2019 Have the Conservatives re-established themselves as the party of law and order? Jack Powell, editor of 1828, says YES. The home secretary stands in front of the police federation, berating them about everything from decades-long scandals to not working with her constructively enough Five years later, one of her successors pledges to give her full [...]
Ex-Freshfields lawyer says incident with married partner left her with mental health problems October 1, 2019 A former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer lawyer told a court today that an alleged incident of non-consensual sexual activity with a married partner at the firm had left her feeling “absolutely terrible” and in need of ongoing mental health support. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard the lawyer give evidence from behind a screen about the allegations [...]
Audit watchdog beefs up standards in response to corporate failures September 30, 2019 Accountancy regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today announced it was beefing up audit standards in response to a string of major corporate failures. The FRC said it was introducing a new standard related to going concern status, where auditors judge a company’s financial position. Outsourcer Carillion and department store chain BHS both received clean [...]
Burford Capital goes to High Court to demand identities of traders who tanked its stock September 30, 2019 Litigation funder Burford Capital today said it had been the victim of market manipulation and said it had gone to court to get the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to disclose the identities of those involved. Burford’s shares tanked in value last month in response to a short attack by activist fund Muddy Waters. Read more: [...]
Woman who spent £16m in Harrods will not be extradited to Azerbaijan September 26, 2019 A judge ruled today that a woman who spent £16m in Harrods and was the target of the UK’s first unexplained wealth order (UWO) will not be extradited to Azerbaijan. Zamira Hajiyeva, whose banker husband is serving a 15-year sentence for fraud and embezzlement, faced extradition to Azerbaijan to stand trial on multiple fraud charges. [...]
We should celebrate the glory of Britain’s unwritten constitution September 25, 2019 For most of the Cold War, there sat in a safe in Whitehall a 16-chapter document. It was a game plan for when the bombs started falling. In four minutes, as the warning sirens wailed, the United Kingdom would be turned from a constitutional monarchy to 12 regional mini-kingdoms. Each would be overseen by a [...]