‘Crumbling’ court buildings are worsening case backlog as repair works see more than 100 sitting days lost July 25, 2022 The Law Society has called for “widespread investment” in the criminal justice system after it was revealed that more than 100 court sitting days were lost in the first six months of 2022 due to repair works in England and Wales’ “crumbling” Crown Court estate. As of the end of June, 111 court sitting days [...]
UK’s Insolvency Service uses new powers to crack down on Covid loan fraud July 25, 2022 The UK’s Insolvency Service has begun using new powers, given to it last December, to crack down on company directors that dissolve their firms to avoid making repayments on government backed loans. The Insolvency Service used its “tough new powers” to ban three individuals from acting as company directors, for dissolving their companies to avoid [...]
Liz Truss promises post-Brexit bonfire of EU rules that hinder UK growth July 22, 2022 Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has vowed to seize the opportunities posed by Brexit by scrapping EU regulations that hinder the UK’s growth. The Conservative MP said that if she becomes prime minister, she will scrap any EU rules that hinder investment or fail to support growth in the UK economy by 2023. If Truss [...]
Jubilee weekend boom fails to lift June’s retail sector July 22, 2022 An uptick in sales of food during the Jubilee weekend was offset by slower sales across the rest of the retail sector to see June retail volumes drop 0.1 per cent compared to previous month. The Jubilee weekend saw food shops sell 3.1 per cent more food last month than they did in May, as [...]
Government and major businesses work together to help households with cost of living July 21, 2022 The government will collaborate with leading businesses to help UK households facing the cost of living crisis, it said today. The Cost of Living Business Tsar and ex-chief of Just Eat David Buttress agreed retail deals and discounts with major businesses in the UK like Asda, Sainsbury’s, Amazon, and Vodafone as part of the Help [...]
Martin Lewis warns government of ‘financial time bomb’ as cost of living crisis worsens July 20, 2022 Martin Lewis warned the government of a “financial time bomb” due to explode in September as the UK’s cost of living crisis intensifies. The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com issued an “open video letter” to the current Conservative Party leadership candidates and warned of even higher energy costs and civil unrest as the UK struggles with record [...]
HMRC takes tougher stance towards tax evasion following Covid and war in Ukraine July 19, 2022 The UK government is taking an increasingly tough stance towards tax evaders, according to new analysis from Pinsent Mason, in a sign HMRC is taking an increasingly tough stance towards tax evaders in its efforts to balance the UK’s books, lawyers have said. The number of individual taxpayers charged with tax evasion jumped 11 per [...]
LV= faces pressure to say whether outgoing chief Mark Hartigan will take payout on exiting firm July 19, 2022 Critics have hit out at mutual insurer LV= over its refusal to say whether it will give outgoing chief executive Mark Hartigan a payout, following his exit from the firm. LV= has so far refused to say whether Hartigan will receive a payout or how much he might take, after the insurer on Monday announced [...]
UK launches innovative ‘problem-solving courts’ to tackle drug and alcohol related crime July 18, 2022 The UK’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has opened three “innovative” new courts specifically for those with substance abuse problems, as part of its £900m plan to tackle drug and alcohol related crime. The new “problem-solving courts” – in Liverpool, Teesside, and Birmingham – will provide services including rehabilitation services and housing support, in a bid [...]
OBR warns MPs against loose fiscal policy July 14, 2022 As the Tory leadership contest saw contenders set out their plans for taxes and government spending, officials from the UK’s fiscal watchdog yesterday repeated warnings about the trajectory of the UK’s public finances. In a Treasury Select Committee hearing yesterday, Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility Richard Hughes said that the UK’s debt is [...]