More Tory MPs expected to announce exit from politics this week December 5, 2022 Today is the deadline for Tory MPs to confirm if they will stand at the next election, with more expected to announce their exit from frontline politics over the next week. A growing number of Conservative MPs have announced their intention to step down at the next election, which is expected by the end of [...]
‘Government can change’ UK economic stagnation, CBI urges December 5, 2022 The UK risks another “lost decade of growth” unless the government takes action to strengthen companies’ confidence in the economy, the country’s top business group warned today. Rishi Sunak must create an environment that incentivises business investment to avoid prolonging the UK’s growth malaise since the financial crisis, according to the Confederation of British Industry [...]
UK businesses fear supply chain chaos will ruin Christmas trading December 5, 2022 UK businesses are anxious that supply chain chaos and soaring costs that have punctuated this year will scupper the lucrative Christmas trading period, a new survey out late last night revealed. Nearly half of British firms are concerned about the rising cost of sourcing materials to produce products, making it the most common problem businesses [...]
Founders have hard choices to make to keep our startups in pole position in the future December 5, 2022 The cynical optimism of “not wasting a good crisis” isn’t much use to most early-stage companies facing the onslaught of skyrocketing prices. The level of VC investment in UK startups plunged by over 50 per cent in the third quarter of this year, a trend that unfortunately looks likely to accelerate through the last quarter [...]
Letters: Looming talent shortages December 5, 2022 [Re: Halfords focusing on offering shoppers more essentials as they slash discretionary spending, Nov 23] Unsurprisingly, the cost of living crisis is impacting shopping habits. In fact, Fourth’s data shows consumers will spend less on a variety of items from holidays to groceries next year. So we may expect more announcements from retailers, and whilst [...]
The Great Smog must be firmly in the past: our City will display exemplary air quality December 5, 2022 Seventy years ago this week, five days of toxic air brought London to a standstill. Flights were grounded, cars abandoned, and trains cancelled. The “Great Smog” – as it became known – descended on the capital, as smoke and noxious fumes from coal fires, vehicles, and factories mixed with fog and mist. Initial estimates suggested [...]
Tax Tribunal backlog soars following HMRC crackdown on fraudulent umbrella companies December 4, 2022 The backlog of cases waiting to be heard in the UK’s tax tribunal has surged following an HMRC crackdown on fraudulent “umbrella companies”. The number of cases waiting to be heard in the First-Tier Tax Tribunal has increased 84 per cent over the previous year to heights of 46,000, according to UK government figures. The [...]
PwC seeks to bolster top ranks by poaching partners from Big Four rivals December 4, 2022 PwC is seeking to bolster its top ranks by poaching partners from its Big Four rivals. The accounting firm is hoping to hire up to 500 new partners with expertise in tax, cloud services, financial crime, and ESG advice, the Financial Times first reported. In doing so, PwC is seeking to take advantage of discontent [...]
Rail strikes: RMT rejects eight per cent pay rise offer December 4, 2022 Rail union the RMT has rejected an 8 per cent pay rise offered by rail operators, aimed at heading off strikes planned for next week. “We have rejected this offer as it does not meet any of our criteria for securing a settlement on long term job security, a decent pay rise and protecting working [...]
It’s long since time to bump up MPs’ pay – we need the best and brightest December 4, 2022 MPs’ pay is not up to standard It perhaps says something about being an MP that Matt Hancock would rather spend three weeks eating various less-than-pleasant parts of exotic Aussie animals than hang around in Westminster. He also felt that he could bring more light to his personal cause – screening for dyslexia in schools [...]
