WH Smith, M&S and Argos among hundreds fined for failing to pay minimum wage June 21, 2023 Hundreds of businesses including high-street heavyweights WH Smith, M&S and Argos have been named and shamed after being fined for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Firms from sole traders to household names were ordered to repay 63,000 staff lost wages totalling close to £5m, after breaching National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. WH Smith [...]
Badenoch slammed for ignoring Brexit realities and telling UK firms global trade ‘isn’t too tough’ June 20, 2023 Kemi Badenoch has been criticised by business groups for trying to “shift the blame” after she told British businesses that international trade “isn’t too tough”. The business and international trade secretary said today that the UK has “too many negative tropes about how difficult it all is”. Speaking at the launch of the first e-commerce [...]
Hunt to discuss support with mortgage lenders as repayments crisis looms June 20, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to meet with mortgage lenders to discuss support for homeowners as a repayments crisis looms. Various calls have been made for the government to step in to help struggling borrowers – but Hunt said ministers would not provide financial support which would fuel inflation. Average costs for a two-year fixed-rate [...]
Mel Stride urges Johnson and cabinet to ‘row together’ and end hostilities after vote June 20, 2023 Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride expressed hope that Boris Johnson and the Cabinet can now “row together” and end the hostilities. Mr Stride told Times Radio he backed the Privileges Committee’s findings that the former prime minister lied to MPs but said he felt “quite uneasy” with the 90-day suspension recommended so decided to [...]
Sadiq Khan to address ‘cost of doing business’ crisis at summit with Uber and Natwest June 20, 2023 Sadiq Khan is set to address the “cost of doing business crisis” at a crunch summit with firms including Uber, Natwest and KPMG. The mayor of London will welcome more than 200 CEOs to his annual City Hall business reception at the Crystal in east London today. He is expected to tell firms the “cost-of-doing-business [...]
Gove warns against prioritising quantity over quality of new homes June 20, 2023 Michael Gove has warned against a “dash for quantity” as he faces calls to accelerate housebuilding in the UK and enable more first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. Backing a new tool by Policy Exchange to instil confidence in the planning process, the housing secretary said: “If we think of housing purely in [...]
MPs vote to sanction Boris Johnson after ‘damning’ privileges committee report June 19, 2023 Boris Johnson will no longer have a pass to Parliament after MPs voted to back sanctions against him in the apparent final chapter of his parliamentary career. Watched over by Sir Ian McKellen, MPs debated the privileges committee report which ruled the former prime minister had “deliberately misled” and committed “serious contempt”. It followed an [...]
Everybody wins: Post Brexit trade deal with 65 nations will cut import costs and save Brits millions June 19, 2023 Developing nations are set to benefit from reduced tariffs under a new post-Brexit trading scheme launched by the UK. The Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) scheme will cut import costs for 65 countries, including 37 African nations and 26 states in Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. It will save UK firms and consumers £770m [...]
‘Mistake’ to focus on flu in pandemic preparedness, David Cameron admits June 19, 2023 David Cameron has admitted it was a “mistake” for his government to focus too heavily on preparing for an influenza wave rather than a potential coronavirus pandemic. The former Conservative prime minister told the official Covid-19 inquiry, which is currently examining the UK’s readiness to respond to a disease outbreak, the decision led to “many [...]
Labour would end onshore wind ban – but wouldn’t overturn Rosebank if Tories approved it June 19, 2023 Labour would not look to withdraw approval for the UK's largest prospective oil and gas field, known as Rosebank.