David Cameron names Edward Troup as executive chair of HMRC, Jon Thompson as chief executive February 24, 2016 Edward Troup has been announced as executive chair of HMRC, while Jon Thompson will become chief executive, the government has confirmed today. Troup, who is currently HMRC’s tax assurance Commissioner, will take up his new role on 5 April. Thompson, currently permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, will join HMRC "shortly". Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed [...]
Union Aslef hits back after senior Department for Transport figure Peter Wilkinson calls striking Tube drivers “muppets” February 24, 2016 The boss of one of Britain's biggest transport unions has written an open letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin after one of his colleagues reportedly called Tube drivers "muppets". Peter Wilkinson, managing director of passenger services at the Department for Transport, is said to have made the comments during a public meeting in Croydon this week. [...]
EU referendum: HSBC has warned a Brexit will create a labour shortage, ramp up food and retail prices and harm banking industry February 24, 2016 It's safe to say HSBC has come off the fence when it comes to Brexit, predicting what can only be described as a Brexocalypse. Just don't try saying that out loud. The bank, which recently committed to staying in the UK, has issued a note warning that the UK leaving the European Union would have [...]
Aston Martin to create up to 1,000 jobs with new factory in St Athan, Glamorgan and Gaydon, Warwickshire February 24, 2016 James Bond's favourite car brand Aston Martin is creating up to 1,000 jobs in the UK as part of plans to create a new factory in St Athan, Glamorgan and ramp up its existing hub at Gaydon, Warwickshire. The new factory will span across 90 acres, repurposing some of the facilities currently in use at the site by the Ministry of Defence, specifically [...]
Crossrail: How London’s Tube map will look after the launch of the Elizabeth Line, running from Shenfield and Abbey Wood to Reading February 24, 2016 Get ready Londoners: the Tube map is about to undergo another big change, ahead of the launch of a new line crossing the capital from east to west. The project formerly known as Crossrail was rebranded the Elizabeth Line yesterday, in deference to our good lady monarch. The Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to [...]
Didcot collapse: Fire chief warns it is “highly unlikely” that three missing men will be found alive February 24, 2016 The fire chief overseeing the search mission at Didcot power station has said it is "highly unlikely" that the three missing people are still alive. The Didcot power station collapsed yesterday afternoon, killing one and injuring five others. Sniffer dogs and search equipment including two drones had been deployed to find the missing people, but after nearly 24 [...]
UK house prices: Housing indices like the ONS and Rightmove just aren’t in line with reality February 23, 2016 For those of us involved with the prime central London (PCL) residential property market, last week delivered some ‘good’ news; where the latest ONS housing data showed an annual increase of 9.4 per cent. That lead Rightmove to announce that the capital has seen the biggest rise in asking prices, year-on-year, than any other region in the UK, increasing by [...]
Crossrail is dead: Long live the Elizabeth Line, as London’s latest infrastructure project is renamed February 23, 2016 Crossrail is getting a rebrand before it has even launched. The multi-million-pound network, which will stretch from Reading in the West to Abbey Wood in East London and Shenfield in Essex, is going to be called the Elizabeth Line, in deference to our good lady monarch. The Queen visited the project formerly known as Crossrail today, dropping [...]
EU referendum: The pollster party is over – big data drawn from social media like Twitter is where we’ll learn if the UK is voting Brexit or Bremain February 23, 2016 The EU Referendum is looming and at this stage, it’s still anyone’s guess which way it will go. David Cameron’s ‘In’ campaign is running at full steam but Boris Johnson’s surprise announcement to back the ‘Out’ vote may yet derail his plan. Already, there are dozens of polls taking place desperately trying to judge which way [...]
The Bank of England, blockchain and the future of the payments industry: Innovation, resilience or both? February 23, 2016 The Bank of England's principal objective is clear: to maintain monetary and financial stability. It is, therefore, almost by definition, a risk averse institution. Yet in a speech to leaders in the payments industry delivered last month, the Bank’s deputy governor for markets and banking outlined the need to modernise the UK’s real-time gross settlement system (RTGS). This [...]
