Gina Miller calls for review of Andrew Bailey’s Bank of England role after ‘toxic’ FCA tenure February 25, 2020 Campaigner and asset management boss Gina Miller today called for a review of Andrew Bailey’s appointment as governor of the Bank of England after his “toxic” tenure as head of the City watchdog. Miller’s True and Fair campaign today published as a report called “Asleep at the wheel” about the string of City scandals during [...]
EU keeps demands on level-playing field as it publishes mandate ahead of trade talks February 25, 2020 The EU has stressed there must be no reduction in “common” standards on food, environment and labour laws as it publishes its negotiating mandate for the second stage of Brexit. The mandate, published after being signed off by the EU 27, says a deal will be dependent on both sides agreeing to maintain the level [...]
Lord Steel quits after report finds authorities ‘turned a blind eye’ to Westminster child abuse claims February 25, 2020 Liberal Democrats peer Lord Steel has quit today, after an inquiry criticised him for failing to report child sex abuse claims against the late MP Cyril Smith. The former Liberal party leader said he would retire from the Lords “as soon as possible”, after the report accused Steel of an “abdication of responsibility” for failing [...]
Fuming: Foreign Office names and shames embassies for unpaid congestion charges February 25, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is owed more than £116m of unpaid congestion charges by diplomatic officials, with the US embassy leading the way. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office released the figures today, showing that the US embassy had accumulated a total of 102,225 unpaid congestion charges, which adds up to £12.44m in lost revenue for [...]
Is the SFO giving executives an easy ride in bribery cases? February 25, 2020 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has developed a lucrative model of targeting large companies in bribery and corruption cases, striking a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) to suspend criminal charges and extracting a sizeable financial penalty. Last month, the SFO agreed a €991m (£831m) DPA with planemaker Airbus as part of a €3.6bn deal with prosecutors [...]
If we want better immigration policies, we first need better immigration debates February 25, 2020 It seems odd to suggest that we should talk more about immigration. It is the policy area which attracts perhaps the most wide-ranging and outraged of political commentary, and was undeniably a key driver in the vote to leave the European Union. Yet the quality of the debate, concerned primarily with numbers and rules, has [...]
Sadiq Khan budget: Uncertainty over Met’s special operations funding February 24, 2020 Sadiq Khan will spend an extra £227.6m on the Metropolitan Police in 2020-21, however its specialist operations branch may face future funding uncertainty. Khan’s £18.5bn 2020-21 budget was approved by the London Assembly today. He plans to increase day-to-day spending for the The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) to £3.89bn, which includes funding [...]
Justice Committee chair calls for Attorney-General to make decision on Airbus bribery probe February 24, 2020 The chair of the Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill today called for the new Attorney-General Suella Braverman to take a decision on a bribery investigation into an Airbus subsidiary that has been in limbo for more than 18 months. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) launched an investigation into Airbus GPT Special Project Management in 2012 [...]
Outsourcing giants to discuss contracts reform with Whitehall officials February 24, 2020 The country’s biggest outsourcers will hold Whitehall talks with top civil servants to discuss changes to the public sector’s procurement process. Twenty chief executives – from companies such as BT Group, Capita and G4S – will meet with civil service chief executive John Manzoni tomorrow. City sources told Sky News the meeting will address “new [...]
Brexit: UK to prioritise sovereignty over business continuity in EU trade talks February 24, 2020 Britain will prioritise “sovereignty and independence” over business continuity when it comes to trade talks with the EU, Number 10 has said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ‘XS’ committee – made up of frontbenchers such as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and foreign secretary Dominic Raab – is expected to sign off the negotiating [...]