Brexit: ‘Frosty the no man’ to turn heat up on EU in Lisbon October 12, 2021 The UK government is set to double down on threats to suspend the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol today in what is likely to spark weeks of UK-EU fighting. Cabinet Office minister Lord David Frost will deliver an address in Lisbon this afternoon in which he will outline the UK’s current position on Northern Ireland Protocol [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile today? October 12, 2021 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Marshmallow Digital insurance unicorn Marshmallow has appointed its first Chief People Officer (CPO) just weeks after it a secured a $1.25bn valuation. Caroline Gillard, who joined in September, brings 20 years of experience in HR to the [...]
It’s time to break the social housing stalemate and build affordable homes October 12, 2021 When you’re losing in a game of chess, you try to end it with a stalemate: no one wins and no one loses. The game ends in a draw. The social housing system in the UK finds itself exactly in this position. The difference is that someone is losing: the scores of families stuck on [...]
Government’s early Covid strategy was ‘one of the most important public health failures’ UK has ever seen October 12, 2021 The Government and its scientific advisers have been lambasted by a report from MPs, which concluded serious errors and delays cost lives to Covid. Ministers waited too long before introducing lockdown measures at the start of the pandemic, according to the science and technology committee and the health and social care committee. The UK’s pandemic [...]
Octopus CEO: We need strong competition to insulate us from future energy crises October 12, 2021 The UK energy industry is in turmoil. The sector is currently going through its most difficult time in decades, with a handful already going bust in the last few weeks. The lights will not go off this winter: we have well-oiled processes, put in place by the government and the energy regulator, to ensure customers [...]
Customers hesitant to buy bulky furniture amid fuel worries October 12, 2021 Brits were hesitant to purchase larger goods like furniture last month amid damp weather and fuel shortage concerns. September marked the slowest retail sales growth since January, when the UK was subject to lockdown measures. UK retail sales decreased 0.6 per cent on a like-for-like basis from September 2020, when they had increased 6.1 per [...]
Moratoriums on facial recognition will do little to stem the tide of surveillance October 12, 2021 In August this year, Sophie Linden, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, approved a £3m contract for the development of retrospective facial recognition. This investment will bolster the Metropolitan Police Department’s surveillance capabilities and enable authorities to “exploit investigative opportunities.” But legal experts view this technology as a form of exploitation which erodes freedoms, [...]
Swelling NHS and social care costs will force Sunak to more than double new levy, warns IFS October 12, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak will have to more than double a levy on employers and employees to meet the cost of an-ever demanding health and social care system. Ongoing cost pressures generated by the UK’s ageing society are likely to force Sunak to hike the newly created health and social care levy to 3.15 per cent [...]
Looming cost of living crisis pinches Brits’ confidence in finances October 12, 2021 The spectre of inflation is acutely impacing Brits’ confidence in the health of their finances. Nine in 10 households are worried about their finances, found research by Barclaycard. Brits across the country are facing a severe cost of living crisis caused by soaring energy prices, wider inflation and looming tax hikes, which is weighing down [...]
Exclusive: Meet the UK’s 50 fastest-growing startups October 12, 2021 A total 50 of the most promising high-growth tech firms in the UK have been named as the country’s top scaleup companies by tech group Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK). Smart employee app Blink, charity fundraiser Enthuse, and digital health platform supporting under-served areas of healthcare, Pepp, were among the firms selected for [...]
