Won’t somebody think of the graduates? Hard-hit young people need to go back to the office August 20, 2020 Recessions always hurt. Tragically, the one we face now looks particularly severe, its speed and scale staggering. With the furlough scheme being rolled back (its own cost to the economy astronomical), UK businesses are now having to stand in the way of an economic tsunami with little or no protection. There is no hiding from [...]
Foreign Office cat Palmerston heads into retirement August 7, 2020 Palmerston, the cat who has lived at the Foreign Office for four and a half years, is to step down from his mouse-catching duties for diplomats. He will instead retire to the countryside, where he plans to live out the remainder of his years relaxing in the rolling grass. Handing in his resignation to the [...]
For young Londoners, working from home is a cramped and dismal experience August 5, 2020 Ah the great British work from home experiment: levelling the playing field, redressing work-life balance, enabling millions of people to work when and where best suits them. After a brief period of chaos at the end of March when the nation struggled to get to grips with Zoom and Amazon sold out of laptop stands, [...]
Oldham hit with new lockdown measures after spike in coronavirus cases July 28, 2020 Some lockdown measures have been reintroduced in Oldham after a “dramatic” spike in cases of coronavirus over the weekend. Residents should not allow social visitors into their homes and must keep a safe distance of 2m from others. Those who are shielding have been told to continue doing so for another two weeks, until 14 [...]
The Financial Promotion of Cryptoassets – Keeping the Virtual Cat Out of the Regulatory Bag? July 28, 2020 It is a sign of the times that a consultation by the UK’s financial regulators that does not mention COVID-19 is a rarity. However, apart from a single passing nod to the pandemic, HM Treasury launched two consultations last week on proposals to alter how financial promotions are regulated in the UK. Whilst the Cryptoassets [...]
Stradivarius can win his duel on the Downs with Santiago July 27, 2020 SOMETIMES you have to hold your hands up and admit you got it totally wrong. Well, my theory that STRADIVARIUS’ best days were behind him was blown to pieces in a stunning display in last month’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. John Gosden’s six-year-old ran away with the Group One prize for a third time by ten lengths and arrives [...]
Pet cat catches coronavirus from UK owners July 27, 2020 A pet cat has contracted coronavirus from his owners in the UK’s first example of an animal catching the virus. It is understood that the cat, which has not been named, caught the virus from his owners, but the government said there was “no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of [...]
Counting the human cost of Covid — and of leaving small business owners behind July 23, 2020 The daily lists of cases, tests and R numbers tell a tale of the scale of the Covid-19 crisis, but they don’t always explain the full story of the cost on people’s lives. ACCA and the Corporate Finance Network (CFN) are running a tracker poll among accountancy firms representing more than 22,000 small businesses to [...]
You Can Hold Politicians To Account Using Blockchain July 21, 2020 Politicians – and lots of other people, but mainly politicians – are continually trying to duck and dive around what they have committed to and what they have achieved. The media, as well as activist groups and regular citizens, spend countless hours trying to hold politicians to account. There has never been a better situation [...]
Left out in the cold: The company directors who have fallen through the cracks in the Treasury’s support schemes July 21, 2020 On Friday, the Prime Minister set out the latest steps towards reopening Britain’s economy, providing encouragement for many businesses. Combined with the chancellor’s promise earlier this month of a half-price lunch, the message appears clear: it’s time to get going and move the economy forward again. But as we do, the government should also take [...]