Green Investment Bank privatisation hits a legal snag as the rival bidder to Macquarie seeks a judicial review March 1, 2017 THE GOVERNMENT’S decision to award preferred bidder status to Australia’s Macquarie in the long-running privatisation of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) is being challenged in the high court. Sustainable Development Capital (SDCL), a UK-based international consortium, has launched proceedings in the High Court for judicial review of the decision. SDCL believes that the preferred bidder’s [...]
A former City headhunter is transforming a sleepy French jam-making operation into a multi million pound business February 28, 2017 NULL
Ministers must show they are pro-business by tackling costs in the Budget February 27, 2017 Momentum behind the post-Brexit consumer-spending boom appears to be slowing. As City A.M. reports today, a GfK poll found that UK consumers’ confidence took a turn for the worse this month, with the index slipping a point to a score of minus six. It would be easy to dismiss the dip as mere jitters but [...]
The UK’s big banks need to keep a close watch on risks February 22, 2017 Less than a week ago, analysts were predicting that the UK’s banks could be about to turn a corner. Mega-fines appeared to be tailing off, signalling an end to the failings of the past. It was no secret that fresh challenges lay ahead for the sector, notably the costs of ringfencing and IT legacy issues, but [...]
MPs set to vote on Magnitsky legislation which would see assets of human rights’ abusers frozen February 20, 2017 The House of Commons will vote tomorrow on the Magnitsky legislative initiative which seeks to freeze the UK assets of alleged human rights violators from anywhere in the world. The initiative is presented as an amendment to the Criminal Finances Bill which was introduced to the parliament last October to strengthen and improve the enforcement of [...]
Bruce Carnegie-Brown recommended as Lloyd’s of London chair February 16, 2017 Bruce Carnegie-Brown is to be recommended as the next chairman for Lloyd's of London, the insurance market. A Lloyd's Council meeting is expected to be convened shortly, probably one day early next week, to ratify the decision. The Council has historically followed the recommendation of the Nominations Committee on important appointments. The appointment is also [...]
Firms are wising up on the need to reform executive pay February 16, 2017 To mere mortals, executive pay can sometimes seem out of this world. Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs No2 who is now director of the National Economic Council in the US, was awarded $284m (£227m) by the Wall St bank upon departure. In the UK, the best paid chief executive is WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell, whose [...]
Costs rise and margins fall on the back of the weaker pound according to a survey of 1,500 businesses by the BCC February 6, 2017 The recent fall in the value of sterling is increasing the cost base of UK businesses and squeezing sales margins, according to the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) latest International Trade Survey published today. More than two thirds of the 1500 businesses surveyed in conjunction with moneycorp expect the fall in the value of sterling [...]
Everything that you need to know about this week’s housing white paper February 5, 2017 The government is set to reveal its long-awaited housing white paper this week after a series of delays. Q: Why do we need a housing white paper? A: There is a mismatch between supply and demand in the housing market which has caused prices to rise to levels that are unaffordable for many. Meanwhile, the [...]
Taxation rates seen as unfairly slanted towards the self-employed and company managers by the Institute for Fiscal Studies February 3, 2017 DIFFERENCES in the way the tax system treats the self-employed, owner-managers and employees are “costly, inefficient and unfair” according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. It found that the tax system is much less favourable to the 85 per cent in employment than it is the 15 per cent who work for themselves. The self-employed [...]
