Johnson says UK preparing to ban Russia from issuing state bonds in London February 23, 2022 Boris Johnson has said he is preparing to ban Moscow from issuing sovereign bonds in the UK and bar Russian companies from raising money in the City of London if Vladimir Putin makes further military incursions in Ukraine. The Prime Minister today waved away calls that the UK’s set of sanctions yesterday in response to [...]
Security fears as HMRC loses nearly 1,500 electronic devices over past five years February 23, 2022 HMRC has reported 1,491 electronic devices lost or stolen over the past five years, according to official figures. The data, retrieved via the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank, observed the number of mobile phones, laptops and tablets lost or stolen over the past five years, each year from [...]
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insists UK is ‘inflicting pain’ on Vladimir Putin and his friends February 23, 2022 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has defended the UK’s “very serious package” of sanctions against Russia, arguing it will be effective in “inflicting pain” on Vladimir Putin. She also said the Government will ramp up punitive measures in the event of a “full-scale invasion” by Moscow. On the current set of sanctions, Ms Truss told Sky [...]
Ukraine: Biden bans Russian state bonds from US markets in fresh sanctions February 22, 2022 Joe Biden has tonight blocked two large Russian financial institutions from operating in the US and has banned Russia from issuing new state bonds on American markets in fresh sanctions against Moscow. A number of Kremlin-linked oligarchs will also have their US assets frozen and face travel bans, with Biden saying in a White House [...]
Hong Kong Covid-19 restrictions may hit staff retention and hiring climate February 22, 2022 Hong Kong’s Covid-19 crackdown may reportedly hurt staff retention and the ability to hire more employees in the global financial hub. The city has maintained Beijing’s tough ‘zero-Covid’ stance on the virus, despite cases surging over the past few weeks. “The evolving Covid-19 restrictions in Hong Kong, including travel, public gathering and social distancing restrictions, [...]
UK sanctions five banks in response to Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine February 22, 2022 The UK has sanctioned five Russian banks and three oligarchs close to the Kremlin in response to Vladimir Putin’s move last night to invade parts of Eastern Ukraine. Boris Johnson told MPs this afternoon that Rossiya Bank, IS bank, Genbank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank have all been barred from trading in the UK [...]
UK says Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun: Boris Johnson says first sanctions coming today February 22, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has begun, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this morning, making the imposition of Russian sanctions imminent. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the “first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia” will be revealed today as he warned Vladimir Putin is bent on a “full scale invasion of Ukraine”. It [...]
Germany suspends Nord Stream 2 pipeline as Russian troops push into Ukraine February 22, 2022 German chancellor Olaf Scholz has halted the approval process of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as Russia ramps up tensions in Ukraine.
EU to impose sanctions on Putin regime as Russian troops push into Ukraine February 22, 2022 The Irish foreign minister said this morning the time has come for the EU to impose sanctions on Russia. It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered forces into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. A vaguely worded decree signed by Mr Putin did not say if troops were on the move, and it cast the [...]
UK paid more tax on alcohol and cigarettes than stamp duty during the pandemic February 22, 2022 New analysis has revealed how the pandemic influenced tax growth across the UK, as HMRC received more from Alcohol and Tobacco duties during the 2020/21 tax year than they did for stamp duty. RIFT Tax Refunds’ data on the total receipts received by HMRC during the first full pandemic tax year of 2020 to 2021 [...]