Sunak and Starmer have both realised just how close they are to an election July 20, 2023 Political cunning and policy gimmicks won't distract voters if their lives haven't improved, Will Cooling writes, on Sunak's war on universities and Starmer's U-turn on the two child welfare cap.
No, Britain doesn’t need our own Inflation Reduction Act as long as we believe in trade July 20, 2023 You only need to enter an arms race in green subsidies if you don't believe in the power of free trade.
The big beasts of banking, supermarkets and tech are behind our productivity slump July 20, 2023 Big monopolies stifle innovation through their total control of market power and patents. We need to break this vicious cycle if we want our productivity back, writes Paul Ormerod
Clifford Chance revenues top £2bn for the first time as firm rules out merger July 19, 2023 Law firm Clifford Chance today reported annual revenues of over £2.06bn, surpassing the £2bn mark for the first time. Annual profit, however, came in slightly lower at £781m, down from £783m the previous year. Profit per equity partner was £2m. Charles Adams, Global Managing Partner at Clifford Chance, said the firm delivered another “strong” set [...]
CMA bosses would have charged Asda more for failing to comply with fuel pricing probe July 19, 2023 The co-owner of Asda, Mohsin Issa, has said he thought it was ‘unfair’ for competition watchdog bosses to say they would have charged the grocer more if they could for failing to provide relevant info for its probe into fuel pricing. In June, Asda was fined £60,000 by competition watchdog for failing to co-operate properly [...]
What does Susan Hall’s selection mean for London? July 19, 2023 The Conservatives have selected former London Assembly group leader Susan Hall to run against Labour’s Sadiq Khan in the mayoral elections next year. For anyone who’s not been following the process, it has been somewhat of a rollercoaster. Murmurings started some months ago with reports CCHQ were on the hunt for a quasi-celeb, someone with [...]
Inflation tumbles faster than expected to its lowest level in over a year at 7.9 per cent July 19, 2023 Inflation has slimmed to its lowest level in over a year and is falling faster than expected, raising the chances of the Bank of England hiking interest rates at a slower pace next month, official figures out today reveal. The rate of price growth fell to 7.9 per cent in June, down from 8.7 per [...]
Macquarie plans to take full ownership of National Grid’s gas unit after increasing stake July 19, 2023 An investor-consortium led by Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management has upped its stake in the National Grid’s gas transmission business and plans to take full ownership “in due course”. Macquarie, along with British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, snapped up an additional 20 per cent in the gas business, the company said today. The investment takes the [...]
Buy-now see-you-later? FCA boss slams claims BNPL firms will quit UK due to regulation July 19, 2023 The chief of the City watchdog said he does not “buy the argument” that buy-now pay-later (BNPL) firms will quit the UK today after it emerged ministers may shelve planned rules over fears firms would leave. The government had been pushing ahead with plans to bring BNPL products offered by firms like Klarna and Clearpay [...]
Coutts treatment of Farage ‘ought to jeopardise’ Natwest’s bank licence, senior Tory says July 19, 2023 Top Tory MPs have piled pressure on Coutts and its owner Natwest after the private bank reportedly closed Nigel Farage’s account because his views do “not align with our values”. Former Brexit secretary David Davis said the decision amounted to “thinly veiled political discrimination” and called it a “vindictive, irresponsible and undemocratic action”. Speaking during [...]
