Tory MPs push for Easter reopening of hospitality in lockdown roadmap February 22, 2021 The Tories’ group of lockdown sceptic MPs are pushing Boris Johnson to reopen hospitality by Easter in his roadmap out of the current Covid lockdown. The forty-strong Covid Recovery Group (CRG) of Conservative MPs want the Prime Minister to outline a full reopening for the sector by 4 April, with the UK’s pubs lobby backing [...]
New UK taxes have raised £48bn in last decade, says new study February 22, 2021 The UK taxman has collected £48bn in revenue through new taxes in the past decade, according to a British accountancy group. UHY Hacker Young said the figures showed that a series of taxes under successive Conservative chancellors have “not fit in with their aim to simplify the UK tax system”. The study showed that the [...]
Brexit: UK considers tit-for-tat retaliation against EU’s British shellfish ban February 21, 2021 The UK could restrict the import of mineral water and other products from EU countries in retaliation for Brussels’ Brexit ban on British shellfish exports. The EU confirmed three weeks ago that a temporary ban on a range of shellfish – including mussels, clams, scallops and cockles – would be made permanent as they are [...]
UK to unveil new visa scheme for fintech workers February 21, 2021 Rishi Sunak will reportedly unveil a new UK visa scheme to help London’s fintech firms attract more global talent in the wake of Brexit. The new visa fast track scheme will give priority access to professionals in the tech industry to live and work in the UK as a part of the country’s new post-Brexit [...]
Rishi Sunak set to raise UK corporation tax in 3 March Budget February 21, 2021 Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to raise UK corporation tax in his 3 March Budget in a bid to raise an extra £12bn in government revenue. Sunak will help pay off for a further extension of the government’s Covid-19 support programmes by raising the corporation tax rate from its current 19 per cent to 23 [...]
All UK adults to be offered Covid vaccine by 31 July February 21, 2021 The UK is now aiming to have all its adults offered a first Covid vaccine by 31 July, after already administering 17m jabs. All over 50s, social and health care workers and all those who are clinically vulnerable to Covid will be offered a jab by 15 April. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he now [...]
New £800m UK science research agency called Aria to open in 2022 February 19, 2021 The government will today announce a new £800m military research agency that was spearheaded by former Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings. The Advanced Research & Invention Agency (Aria) will be “tasked with funding high-risk research that offers the chance of high rewards” and is set to be launched next year. A statement from the Department of [...]
New City lobby: Big bank influence is holding UK financial services back post-Brexit February 18, 2021 A new pro-Brexit City of London lobby group has taken aim at competitor The CityUK, saying that the established body is “dominated by multinational banks” that do not care about the UK’s prosperity. The CityUnited project was formed earlier this week by a group of Eurosceptic City figures and politicians, with the group aiming to [...]
Labour thinks its ‘market competitive’ bonds proposal will ‘tap into Captain Tom spirit’ February 18, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal for a new UK recovery bond would be sold at “market competitive rates” and would aim to “tap into” the spirit shown by the public when supporting Captain Tom Moore last year. Starmer unveiled two new policies today, announcing that a Labour government would give 100,000 loans to start-up businesses and [...]
UK Treasury mulls scrapping EU cap on bonuses for City bankers February 18, 2021 The UK Treasury is reportedly considering scrapping an EU cap on bankers’ bonuses in a bid to keep the City competitive post-Brexit. The UK is now free to set its own regulatory agenda on financial services, with divergence from EU rules expected. The Financial Times reports that one potential change could be removing an EU [...]