Sexism in the City: MPs to investigate barriers for women and ‘alpha male’ culture in finance July 14, 2023 MPs are set to investigate barriers faced by women in finance, in a new probe into sexism in the City of London. The treasury committee is calling for evidence for its inquiry into progress on ending gender pay gaps and how firms, government and regulators can tackle misogyny and harassment. Harriett Baldwin, treasury committee chairwoman, [...]
Families unfairly penalised by UK tax system, CPS report warns July 10, 2023 The UK tax system must be reformed so that families are no longer unfairly penalised, a think tank has warned. Couples with two children and a single earner of £60,000 will pay over £7,000 more tax than if both parents earned £30,000 each, Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) researchers found. Research found single-earner married couples [...]
Jeremy Hunt unveils plans to boost pension funds’ investment July 10, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is set to announce hotly-anticipated plans to supercharge pension funds to invest in high-growth sectors and boost British businesses. The Chancellor will spell out his plans today to encourage schemes to invest cash in infrastructure, startups and green tech – in a bid to rocket power the UK’s growth while avoiding adding to [...]
Rachel Reeves: Labour’s fiscal rules ‘non-negotiable’ July 9, 2023 Rachel Reeves has vowed Labour’s fiscal rules are “non-negotiable” as she pledged that her party would “never play fast and loose with the public finances”. Discussing Labour’s plans to invest £28bn a year into green jobs and industry, which has since been watered down, the shadow chancellor said she was “confident” Labour could meet this [...]
Javid: Truss ‘ignored’ Treasury warnings on balancing books – and Britain ‘paid consequences’ July 3, 2023 Liz Truss “ignored” warnings from the Treasury orthodoxy meaning the country “paid the consequences” for her disastrous mini-budget, Sajid Javid has said. The former chancellor said the focus in HMT on “balancing the books in the medium term” was a good thing, and without that the UK “would have constant financial crisis”. Speaking at an [...]
Quarter of taxpayers in London and southeast stung by higher income tax July 2, 2023 A quarter of taxpayers in London and the southeast of England now fall within the higher rate of income tax, it has been revealed. Almost 2.5m people in the capital and commuter belt constituencies now come under the 40 or 45 per cent tax bracket, analysis of HMRC data by the Liberal Democrats has shown [...]
Risk aversion is ‘endemic’ in UK, pensions chief warns June 13, 2023 The UK is in the grip of “endemic” risk aversion when it comes to investment, a pensions chief executive has warned yesterday. Tracy Blackwell, chief executive of Pensions Insurance Corporation, said the country needed to embrace the risk of the markets and look to divert capital into more productive areas of the economy. “How we [...]
‘Can’t come soon enough’: Will Sunak follow through on 2p tax cut reports? June 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s mooted plans to reduce the tax burden from a seven-decade high with a 2p cut in income tax ahead of the next election have been welcomed by Tory campaigners. Reports surfaced in the Sunday Telegraph that the PM – an ex-City banker – is keen to cut charges in order to incentivise work [...]
Ofwat £11m enforcement boost branded ‘drop in the ocean’ by sewage campaigners May 16, 2023 An £11m funding boost for water regulator Ofwat to help it take action against polluting water companies has been branded a “drop in the ocean” by a campaign group, who argued more was needed to address the scale of the problem. Ofwat said the funds, which would be provided by a future hike to the [...]
Wagner Group: UK to put Russia mercenaries on proscribed terror list alongside ISIS May 10, 2023 The UK is set to designate Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group as a proscribed terrorist organisation, it is understood. The Times quoted a government source as saying the move was “imminent” and likely to be enacted within weeks after two months spent building a legal case. Proscription would make it a criminal offence to join Wagner, [...]