Bankrupt, rat-infested Birmingham shows why local government matters April 23, 2025 With local elections across much of England, it’s time we took regional accountability much more seriously, says Simon Clarke Next Thursday, there are local elections across much of England. For many people, these events will pass them by entirely. For others, they will be purely an opportunity to send a message about national politics: it [...]
‘It’s existential’: Unpacking a looming tax scarier than the National Insurance hike April 13, 2025 For William Fugard, chief executive and co-founder of Gusto Organic, headaches caused by issues beyond his control are an occupational hazard. The terms on which the UK decided to leave the European Union meant that – in 2019 – the cost of exporting a pallet of his firm’s premium soft drinks went from £70 to [...]
Cabinet Office to shed 2,100 jobs as government shrinks civil service April 10, 2025 The Cabinet Office will lose almost a third of its staff as Labour seeks to shrink the civil service, the government has announced. Around 1,200 jobs will go through redundancies and leavers not being replaced under plans unveiled to civil servants on Thursday, with another 900 transferred to other departments. The 2,100 job cuts represent [...]
Stats body aims to publish key jobs data in late 2026 April 10, 2025 The UK’s official statistics body has set a target of November 2026 for the reform of its flagship Labour Force Survey (LFS), which monitors the UK jobs market. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been dogged by several troubles in data gathering, prompting criticism from the Bank of England as well as an intervention [...]
Japanese Whisky: A celebration of Japan’s culture April 3, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. April 1st marked Japanese Whisky Day, the annual event designed to celebrate and showcase Japanese whisky. While the drink has gained recognition in recent years, it’s still fighting for a place on the shelf alongside Scotch, Irish and Bourbon. It might come as a surprise, [...]
Rhinoceros at the Almeida: The kazoo can’t save this absurdist mishmash April 2, 2025 A play in which Frenchmen start turning into rhinoceroses, even the fun of the kazoo can't save this absurdist mishmash, writes Anna Moloney.
Courier Magic looks ready to deliver a Valley victory April 1, 2025 THERE are a number of hot and highly competitive handicaps on the Happy Valley card, and none more so than the finale, the Kyoto Handicap (3.50pm) over six furlongs. With the likes of Kaholo Angel and last-start winners Beauty Infinity, Romantic Son and Happy Fat Cat lining-up, this will have form book students scratching their [...]
Probe launched into ONS governance and data quality April 1, 2025 The government has launched an independent investigation into the UK’s beleaguered statistics watchdog to ascertain how its official data and surveys have become so unreliable. The remit of the probe – commissioned by the Cabinet Office and UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) – will span the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) culture, leadership and structure, and [...]
The Phantom of the Opera closure slashes profit at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s empire April 1, 2025 The closure of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway led to sales and profit at the entertainment empire owned by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber being slashed during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. London-headquartered The Really Useful Group has reported a turnover of £36.5m for the year to 30 June, 2024, down [...]
Barclays, NatWest, Citibank, JPMorgan: Major British banks take forex rigging case to Supreme Court April 1, 2025 Central British banks, including Barclays and NatWest, will be at the Supreme Court today, aiming to overturn a decision in the forex rigging case.