100,000 civil servants to walk out on Budget Day, union says February 7, 2023 Around 100,000 civil servants are set to strike on Budget Day, their union has announced, amid a campaign of walkouts over pay disputes. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said it was escalating action after a “lack of movement” from the government over its concerns over pay, pensions and job security. Walkouts will take [...]
Sunak’s reshuffle: Shapps, Badenoch, Hands and Donelan in new cabinet roles after Zahawi’s sacking February 7, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Greg Hands, a former trade minister, as the chair of the Conservative party after Nadhim Zahawi was sacked last month. The Department for Business, Energy, Industry and Strategy has also been broken up into two separate bodies. Grant Shapps, the former Business Secretary has been appointed Secretary of State [...]
‘Robin Hood powers’: Here’s what a football regulator WILL and WON’T be able to do, according to reports February 2, 2023 A new independent football regulator will be given powers to step in and resolve the sport’s financial row, according to a report. The regulator will also oversee a more robust owners’ and directors’ test and introduce a licensing system paid for by clubs to ensure they are being run sustainably, The Sun reported. The newspaper [...]
Crypto: Government is considering ‘world first’ regulatory regime in UK bid to become digital asset hub January 31, 2023 The government has set out plans to “robustly regulate” the crypto asset industry as it seeks to become a cryptocurrrency hub despite the problems faced by the industry last year. The proposals include rules for crypto trading platforms and a “world-first” regime for crypto lending, as the government seeks to “embrace technological change”. Proposals will [...]
UK receives lowest ever score on corruption index as Britain’s reputation suffers after a string of political scandals January 31, 2023 Britain has received its lowest ever score and ranking on Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The drop “is a powerful indictment” in the decline in public standards, campaigners say, which have been dragged down by a series of recent government scandals around the procurement of PPE during pandemic and multiple ministerial breaches. The [...]
TfL’s fare hike will hurt London’s competitiveness, City groups warn January 19, 2023 Campaigners have warned that TfL’s fare increase could hurt London’s competitiveness as mayor Sadiq Khan said his hands were tied by the government’s bailout deal. Khan announced yesterday that bus and tube fares will go up by just shy of six per cent, in line with what ministers announced for rail in mid-December. The hike [...]
Clawback: How Barclays is chasing down Covid-19 business loan cash January 10, 2023 Barclays has teamed up with a specialist insolvency practitioner to recover money loaned to small businesses through the UK’s Covid support schemes. The British bank has joined forces with insolvency firm Manolete Partners to recover emergency loans paid through the UK government backed Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Financial Times first reported. The UK’s [...]
UK public procurement reforms could create £4bn ‘accountability gap’, campaigners warn January 8, 2023 Plans to overhaul the UK’s public procurement processes risk creating an “accountability gap” around the use of public funds, anti-corruption campaigners have warned. The plans, which aim to make it easier for small businesses to win contracts from the UK government, seek to simplify the country’s procurement processes and make them easier to navigate. The [...]
Rishi Sunak calls for ‘radical’ action as NHS on ‘knife-edge’ January 7, 2023 Rishi Sunak has urged health leaders at an emergency meeting to take “bold and radical” action to alleviate the winter crisis in the NHS. The Prime Minister told them during Downing Street talks on Saturday that a “business-as-usual mindset won’t fix the challenges we face”. Critics said the discussions would be just a “talking shop” [...]
Iran executions condemned by Cleverly amid Tehran crackdown on Mesa Amini protests January 7, 2023 Britain has condemned Iran’s execution of two men connected to nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini as “abhorrent”. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Tehran to “end the violence against its own people”, with four men known to have been executed since demonstrations began in September. Iran’s judiciary said Mohammad Karami and Mohammad [...]