Business blocked from immigration discussions after MAC report, Downing Street suggests January 28, 2020 The government has signalled there will be no more formal consultation with business groups on immigration policy as it begins drawing up a new system for the post-Brexit regime. Instead, ministers will rely on a long-awaited report from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) which will be unveiled in Westminster this morning. It is understood [...]
Sainsbury’s to invest £1bn to reduce emissions to net zero by 2040 January 28, 2020 Sainsbury’s has pledged to invest £1bn over the next 20 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040. The supermarket giant, which currently has a carbon footprint of 1m tonnes, will focus on reducing emissions, food waste, plastic packaging and water usage. Sainsbury’s will also boost its recycling, biodiversity and healthy and [...]
Financial services firms tap into diversity data to improve workforce January 28, 2020 Progressive financial services firms are increasingly using diversity data to drive their agenda. Firms are rethinking their approach to data to deliver improvements to their workforce, according to research from New Financial. The think tank found that boards are raising their data requirements in response to external pressures. Legislation requires employers with 250 or more [...]
London startup Forward Health secures $5m as it rebrands to Pando January 28, 2020 Healthtech startup Forward Health has revealed it is rebranding to Pando Health, following a $5m (£3.8m) investment from a notable Australian venture capital firm. It is also the first European healthtech investment for Skip Capital, a billion-dollar fund led by Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar and Kim Jackson. Existing investors Stride.VC and Albion Capital also participated [...]
FBI got ‘zero cooperation’ from Prince Andrew on Jeffrey Epstein probe January 27, 2020 The FBI and US federal prosecutors have reportedly sought to interview Prince Andrew about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, but have not yet received a response. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York revealed the prince’s lack of cooperation during a press conference about victims of human and sex trafficking. In response [...]
Government hints at tax breaks in boost for news publishers January 27, 2020 The government has hinted that it will consider a range of potential tax breaks for news publishers, marking a much-needed boost for the industry amid tough competition from tech giants. A major review into the future of UK journalism funding last year set out a number of recommendations to help level the playing field and [...]
Entrepreneur tax relief to be scaled back in Budget January 27, 2020 The government will reportedly scale back a tax break for entrepreneurs amid concerns it is overly generous to the wealthy. A senior cabinet minister told The Financial Times that the Chancellor Sajid Javid is drawing up plans to curb the tax break. The Conservatives’ general election manifesto outlined plans to review and reform the relief. [...]
Boris Johnson pledges ‘progress for UK’ as Huawei decision looms January 27, 2020 Boris Johnson has said he will not block “technological progress here in the UK”, in a further signal the government is poised to give Huawei a limited role in the country’s 5G rollout. The Prime Minister, shrugged off criticism from the former foreign affairs select committee chair Tom Tugendhat over the pending decision, insisting that [...]
Near-miss: Iran plane skids onto major road after pilot misses runway January 27, 2020 Iran narrowly avoided its second major aviation tragedy in less than a month this morning, after a passenger jet ended up belly-down in the middle of a major highway after a botched landing. Nearly all of the 136 passengers on board escaped unscathed – with two on board suffering leg injuries. The incident happened in [...]
Anger over Presidents Club clothing range at House of Fraser January 27, 2020 A clothing range that appears to recall the Presidents Club, a charity that closed down following a scandal over the behaviour of guests at its male-only dinners, has come under widespread criticism from female entrepreneurs. The Presidents Club’s annual dinner hit the headlines in 2018 after it emerged that waitresses at the event were told [...]