The case for the Garden Bridge is “weaker than in 2014” says the Treasury February 9, 2017 A Treasury report has questioned the business case for London’s controversial Garden Bridge. Officials told MPs that “the overall case for the project is weaker today than it was in 2014”. In an analysis sent to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Treasury permanent secretary Tom Scholar said there are “significant uncertainties” about some of the benefits the [...]
Blame game over cyber crime leaves listed companies wide open to attacks February 9, 2017 A shocking disconnect between IT heads and their C-suite bosses means both expect each other to take responsibility for information security breaches, aerospace giant BAE Systems has revealed. While 50 per cent of IT decision makers would blame senior executives in the event of a breach, the most popular response amongst business leaders asked the [...]
A Tory MP has tabled a no confidence motion in John Bercow over his controversial Donald Trump intervention February 9, 2017 The role of House of Commons speaker John Bercow is under threat after a Conservative MP tabled a "no confidence" motion. James Duddridge has been a vocal critic of Bercow's Donald Trump intervention, in which the speaker vowed to fight any invitation for the US President to address MPs and peers in Parliament. Read More: Commons speaker John Bercow [...]
Jeremy Corbyn kicks off his latest reshuffle by promoting John McDonnell’s deputy February 9, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is beginning to rebuild his front bench following some high-profile resignations, with Treasury number two Rebecca Long Bailey stepping up to cover the business sector. Long Bailey served as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, but will replace Clive Lewis as shadow business secretary. Always a high profile patch, the business remit has [...]
This is our best chance to scrap the toxic American tax law that makes pariahs out of US citizens February 9, 2017 We have President Trump in our sights. Having this week officially launched the Washington DC-based Campaign to Repeal FATCA, we’re lobbying to have America’s toxic, imperialistic global tax law swept into the dustbin of history. I’ve been an outspoken critic of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) since it was rushed through Congress by [...]
Optimism growing over “make or break” steel pensions vote ahead of next week’s result February 9, 2017 Optimism is increasing over a "make or break" vote for the future of British steel, with a result expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday. Members of GMB, Unite and Community are still being balloted over proposals that will see Tata Steel pump £1bn into the sprawling Port Talbot steelworks in exchange for workers accepting [...]
RAF jets sent to intercept Russian bombers after they approach UK airspace February 9, 2017 No need to panic but RAF fighter jets have been dispatched to monitor two Russian bombers, which flew near UK airspace. The pair of Tupolev TU-160 Blackjack bombers were in the UK's area of interest, but didn't enter British territorial airspace. So no worries then… RAF Typhoons were dispatched from the Lossiemouth base in Scotland [...]
Rio Tinto might walk away from the world’s second biggest copper mine February 9, 2017 Rio Tinto is weighing whether to walk away from its interest in the world's second biggest copper mine. Chief executive Jean-Sebastian Jacques has told analysts the massive Grasberg site faces stoppages in its copper concentrate exports and permit issues with the Indonesian government, Reuters reported. The mine's operator Freeport McMoRan warned this could lead to cuts to production and the local workforce. [...]
RMT’s row over role of the guard to spread as it ballots Arriva Rail North workers for strikes February 9, 2017 Southern rail and Aslef union might have struck a deal in the long-running dispute over the role of the guard (subject to a members' referendum), but the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is yet to follow suit. And now it's balloting workers on Arriva Rail North for strikes in another row over the role of [...]
Guy Hands’ Terra Firma completes disposal of all Infinis Energy assets February 9, 2017 Terra Firma has agreed to sell the onshore wind assets of renewable energy firm Infinis to JP Morgan, bringing to an end Guy Hands’ ownership of the Infinis group. Terra Firma, owned and run by Hands, floated Infinis in 2014 but took it private again after then-chancellor George Osborne introduced a series of levies on green [...]