City Minister Tulip Siddiq named in Bangladeshi corruption probe December 19, 2024 The City minister has been named in an investigation into whether her Bangladeshi family embezzled nearly £4bn from energy and major infrastructure deals. Tulip Siddiq, whose ministerial remit includes tackling corruption in financial markets, is accused of having helped broker a deal with Russia for a nuclear power power plant in Bangladesh 11 years ago [...]
Osborne Clarke: Nadhim Zahawi’s lawyer faces disciplinary hearing over SLAPP allegations December 16, 2024 Nadhim Zahawi's lawyer faces a disciplinary hearing this week over allegations he sent SLAPP letters to tax expert Dan Neidle
‘Hammer blow’: Family firms call for inheritance tax consultation December 16, 2024 Family businesses are urging the government to consult on changes to inheritance tax (IHT), warning the move represents a “hammer blow” to the UK economy. Some 160,000 family-owned firms – represented by 32 trade associations – have written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to request a formal consultation on IHT changes in the Budget. The letter, [...]
Home secretary criticised for not saying when small boat crossings will fall December 15, 2024 The home secretary has been criticised for not saying when small boat crossings will fall. Yvette Cooper has insisted the government has a moral responsibility to tackle the crisis, but refused to say when the number of people arriving across the English Channel will decline. The Labour minister was criticised by her Tory opponent for [...]
‘Milestone’: UK first European country to join CPTPP trade bloc December 15, 2024 The UK has become the first European nation to join the CPTPP trade bloc after its membership formally took effect. Britain’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) came into force on Sunday, December 15. The major Indo-Pacific trade partnership comprises member states Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, [...]
Water bills set to rise by a fifth as government calls for ‘complete reset’ of sector December 15, 2024 Water bills are set to rise by at least 21 per cent as the government slams a "failure of regulation and governance" within the sector.
Cabinet Office to make hundreds of Civil Service redundancies December 12, 2024 Hundreds of jobs are set to be cut by the Cabinet Office, it has been confirmed, in a move which the government department said will create a “smaller, clearer structure”. A total of 400 jobs have been placed at risk at the department which is responsible for a range of functions across government. The Cabinet [...]
Property tycoon Nick Candy defects to Reform from Conservatives December 10, 2024 Property tycoon Nick Candy has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in a boost for the insurgent party. The former Tory donor, who is married to pop star and ex-Neighbours actor Holly Valance, told The Sun that there has been “too many broken promises and a complete breach of trust with the wealth creators [...]
Labour’s business backers – where are they now? December 10, 2024 Labour won the public backing of over 120 business chiefs in a letter before the election – but the enthusiasm of those executives appears to have dimmed since then. City AM tried to track them down. It was a letter that seemed to signal a tectonic shift in British politics when it landed in newspapers [...]
Reeves promises ‘deeper, more mature’ economic relationship with EU December 9, 2024 Rachel Reeves has pledged to build a “deeper, more mature relationship” with European trading partners in the first speech by a UK chancellor to eurozone finance ministers since 2020. Speaking to the Eurogroup in Brussels on Monday, Reeves also brushed off the suggestion that Britain must choose between closer ties with the US and EU [...]