Tony Gallagher is reportedly mulling the £500m sale of a chunk of his property empire January 8, 2017 A major Tory donor is reportedly mulling the £500m sale of a chunk of his property empire. According to the Sunday Times, Oxfordshire-based Tony Gallagher is in advanced talks to sell Gallagher Estates to one of the UK’s largest housing associations. Gallagher Estates buys residential sites, preparing them for development by securing planning permission before they [...]
Theresa May is hinting at the end of the UK’s Single Market membership January 8, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has suggested the UK will give up its Single Market membership in Brexit negotiations, with the European customs union participation also expendable. May appeared to take a swipe at Remain campaigners who want the UK to keep hold of "bits" of EU membership. "We are leaving. We are coming out. We are not [...]
Business secretary Greg Clark to hone in on industrial strategy in raft of meetings with companies next week January 5, 2017 Business secretary Greg Clark is expected to hold meetings with a raft of companies next week to discuss industrial strategy ahead of a green paper due out later this month. City A.M. understands Clark will be in meetings throughout the week with business figures from a range of industries to discuss the UK's nascent industrial [...]
Royal Mail pensions closure: Unions warn on strikes if they disagree with plans January 5, 2017 Royal Mail today revealed plans to scrap its mammoth pension scheme that serves 90,000 postal workers. The former state-owned firm said the current final salary surplus would run out in 2018 and unless changes were implemented, the bill for servicing the scheme could run to over £1bn a year – a level it said “would [...]
Whitehall’s top mandarins are demanding a pay-rise because of Brexit January 5, 2017 A union representing top civil servants has written to the government to demand pay rises because of the pressures of Brexit. In evidence submitted to the Senior Salaries Review Body, which advises the government on pay for public sector workers, the FDA has warned 94 per cent of senior civil servants believe the current pay regime “is not [...]
Sadiq Khan launches a fresh plea for more control over London’s trains January 5, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a fresh appeal for control over the capital’s suburban trains. Khan has published a list of promises to Londoners if rail devolution goes ahead. In December, transport secretary Chris Grayling ruled out City Hall control of services, branding any handover “deckchair shifting”. However, Khan has reiterated his demands for [...]
Snooping City: Do you live in London’s most spied-on neighbourhood? January 5, 2017 Londoners have been subject to more than 10,000 days of covert surveillance by councils since 2011, new figures have revealed. Some 27 London borough councils have launched almost 500 surveillance operations over the last five years, but which local authorities did the most spying? A raft of Freedom Of Information requests can reveal surveillance operations [...]
Six things we know about Sir Tim Barrow, the UK’s new ambassador to the EU January 5, 2017 The Foreign Office moved rapidly yesterday to recruit a new ambassador to the EU, announcing senior diplomat Sir Tim Barrow's appointment within 48 hours of the resignation of his predecessor, Sir Ivan Rogers. But what do we know about the new man? Read more: Former EU ambassador “couldn't be trusted” by ministers says IDS 1. [...]
Don’t touch that dial: Nigel Farage is getting his own radio show January 5, 2017 Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is to present his own nightly radio show from next week. In news likely to interfere with his prospects of becoming the UK's ambassador to Washington, Farage will present an hour-long show from Monday to Thursday on talk radio station LBC. The former Ukip leader – who stood down last summer professing a [...]
Cambridge academics have blasted the Treasury over “Project Fear” Brexit warnings January 5, 2017 A series of dire warnings from the Treasury ahead of last summer's Brexit vote have been called into question by academics at Cambridge, who say leaving the EU could halve net migration. Academics from the University of Cambridge examined official government warnings ahead of the referendum – and said several predictions were “found wanting”. In [...]
