Advertisers losing talent to deep-pocketed tech giants, says industry boss May 1, 2019 Advertising firms are missing out on the best recruits as top talent is scooped up by tech firms, a senior industry boss has said. Nigel Vaz, newly-elected president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), said advertisers should act like start-ups in a bid to match the deep pockets and attractive corporate cultures of [...]
Government cancels no-deal Brexit ferry contracts at £50m cost to taxpayer May 1, 2019 The Department for Transport (DfT) has cancelled its no-deal Brexit contracts with ferry companies, racking up heavy costs for the taxpayer. Read more: Government ferry contracts to cost millions more if Brexit is delayed The government last year spent more than £100m chartering extra ferries to ease congestion in the Channel in the event that [...]
Blockchain technology promises to change the world, but so far it has delivered very little May 1, 2019 Last month, I attended a debate in the Houses of Parliament, not on the legalities of the ever so tedious withdrawal agreement, but on cryptocurrency and blockchain. At first, I was surprised that a discussion on these topics only lasted an hour and a half considering that, although blockchain technology powers cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, [...]
Extinction Rebellion hates capitalism, but these climate change protesters wouldn’t exist without it May 1, 2019 The Extinction Rebellion protesters on the streets of London seemed to consist of two disparate interest groups: pensioners and the young. Their shared connection is that most of them – certainly in the former group – seemed to be affluent. An identical alliance was observed a few months ago in the rather unlikely setting of the [...]
UK manufacturing growth slows as Brexit extension reduces stockpiling May 1, 2019 Growth in the UK manufacturing sector slowed in April, according to closely-watched data released today, following a faster-than-expected expansion in March due to Brexit stockpiling. Read more: UK manufacturing hits 13-month high as Brexit stockpiling peaks The headline purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 53.1 in April, down from March's 13-month high of 55.1, according [...]
Tech sector activity gets a boost despite falling optimism April 30, 2019 Business activity growth in the UK technology sector has recovered to its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2018, while optimism fell to a 10-year low. The strength of business activity rose to 54.4 in the first three months of 2019, up from 52.3 at the end of last year, according to data from [...]
Tech sector activity gets a boost despite falling optimism April 30, 2019 Business activity growth in the UK technology sector has recovered to its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2018, while optimism fell to a 10-year low. The strength of business activity rose to 54.4 in the first three months of 2019, up from 52.3 at the end of last year, according to data from [...]
Business secretary Greg Clark set to announce £100m funding for British Steel April 30, 2019 Business secretary Greg Clark is set to announce a £100m funding package for British Steel. Sky News reported that Clark will announce the pledge in the House of Commons tomorrow after the UK’s second-biggest steelmaker made the request for emergency funding to pay an EU climate levy. According to the report, government funding has been [...]
Brexit offers a chance for bold, liberalising immigration reform – but Brexit paralysis prevents the government from grasping the chance April 30, 2019 Given how much the government is struggling to actually leave the European Union it should come as no surprise that it also struggles with key areas of policy that Brexit brings to the front and centre of the stage. Immigration policy is one prominent example and an area where the government still lurches from one [...]
Confidence in UK among European business leaders has collapsed due to Brexit, says survey April 30, 2019 The confidence of European business chiefs in the UK economy has evaporated due to Brexit, causing them to slash their investment intentions, a new report by investment bank Credit Suisse has revealed. Read more: Investors withdrew savings from UK funds in lead up to Brexit deadline Over 65 per cent of European business leaders said [...]