Kwarteng says government will not bail out energy firms as more collapses expected September 20, 2021 Kwasi Kwarteng has said the government will not bail out collapsed energy firms as global shortages push more suppliers to the brink. The business and energy secretary said “we may well expect to see further companies exiting the market over the coming weeks”, after holding crunch meetings with energy firms today. Wholesale gas prices are [...]
Dutch PM Mark Rutte tried to mediate Northern Ireland Protocol talks, Johnson says September 20, 2021 Boris Johnson has claimed that Dutch leader Mark Rutte offered to mediate contentious UK-EU talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Johnson told journalists today that Rutte made the offer during the pair’s Downing Street meeting on Friday. However, Dutch diplomats have disputed the claim and have told the Financial Times that no such offer was [...]
Labour plots crackdown on private equity tax loophole September 20, 2021 Labour will crack down on private equity bosses by closing tax loopholes on their bonuses if victorious at the next election. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will today say that by ending the carried interest loophole, the government could raise another £440m in tax revenues. Carried interest payments are given as bonuses to private equity bosses [...]
City minister pledges ‘competitive tax rates’ for UK financial services sector ahead of Budget September 20, 2021 John Glen has promised that the UK’s financial services sector will benefit from “competitive tax rates,” ahead of the next Budget on 27 October, according to reports. “To be competitive, we have to have competitive tax rates and that’s what’s on the chancellor’s mind at the moment,” the City minister told the Financial Times, which first reported the [...]
France cancels defence meeting with UK as submarine row widens September 20, 2021 France has cancelled a meeting between Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart planned for this week after Australia scrapped a submarine order with Paris. Watch the full report.
D-Day for Justin Trudeau as Canadians go to the polls September 20, 2021 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, crisscrossing the country with a last pitch to voters before today’s election, said over the weekend only his Liberals could end the pandemic. Trudeau also accused his main rival of taking the wrong approach to fighting Covid-19. Watch the full report.
New international trade secretary to call for easier online trade in first speech September 20, 2021 The new international trade secretary will today outline a five-point plan to make it easier for businesses to digitally sell their products overseas. Anne-Marie Trevelyan will use her first speech since being appointed to the role to call for a reduction to “digital barriers” from “countries who take a protectionist approach” at London Tech Week. [...]
New poll: 53 per cent of UK thinks Brexit deal has ‘created more problems than it solved’ September 20, 2021 More than half the UK believes Boris Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement “has created more problems than it [has] solved”, according to new polling. The survey by Opinium on behalf of Best for Britain, an anti-Brexit think tank, found just 15 per cent of people think it has done the opposite. The survey also found that [...]
Xi Jinping yet to confirm Cop26 attendance, says Sharma September 19, 2021 Chinese premier Xi Jinping has not yet confirmed that he will attend the United Nations Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow this year, Alok Sharma has said. Sharma, the Cop26 president, held two days of talks earlier this year in China in an attempt to cajole the country’s leadership to commit to the landmark summit. [...]
Former chancellor Hammond’s PE firm eyeing government contractor Amey September 19, 2021 Former chancellor Philip Hammond’s private equity firm is scheming to buy one of the government’s largest private sector contractors for £300m. According to Sky News, Buckthorn, the private equity firm who employs Hammond as a partner, has moved to acquire Amey. Buckthorn has submitted a bid for Amey as part of an auction being organised [...]