Oh, BoJo: Emails reveal Mayor of London Boris Johnson to be a diplomatic nightmare on Iraq visit January 15, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson's trip to Iraq last year left the Foreign Office staff picking up a hotel bar tab, officials blocking his request for a visit to the front-line and Johnson driving a sports car out of a showroom, correspondence has revealed. The correspondence, released under freedom of information laws, show the difficulties officials [...]
City A.M.’s journalists take a look at what 2016 has in store for the world of finance and business January 4, 2016 BANKING Strengthening outlook despite more regulatory bumps ahead Bank of England governor Mark Carney may have declared the banking crisis officially over at the end of last year, but 2016 looks to be far from a challenge-free year for Britain’s biggest banks. To be sure, all seven of the UK’s leading lenders passed the Bank’s [...]
Is Poland now joining the Romanian path? If the Law and Justice party monopolises Poland’s monetary institutions, the economy could fail December 18, 2015 This week, a striking event in Warsaw caught the European public eye. Thousands of Polish citizens protested against the revocation of three judges of the constitutional court by the freshly elected President Duda. Although Parliament had appointed these judges before the election, Duda made use of his prerogative to remove all three from their positions. The [...]
Banks have a duty to regain public trust – and it may take a generation December 14, 2015 Trust in the financial services sector remains stubbornly low. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, only half of the countries surveyed put their faith in financial services. And the picture is even worse for banks. From 2014 to 2015, trust in banks declined in two thirds of the countries covered, with the highest levels of [...]
London parking prices: Councils are making a mint from parking charges December 7, 2015 Councils across the country are raking in £1.9m every single day from parking, with the London boroughs of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea , Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham and Wandsworth pocketing more than anywhere else in the country. The four locations in the capital made £148m between them – more than £400,000 every single day – from parking charges and penalty notices, accounting for [...]
Battle for the mobile privacy market heats up as Silent Circle moves into enterprise software December 3, 2015 In a bid to win a larger share of the secure communications market phone maker Silent Circle is moving into enterprise software. Silent Circle, which also makes the controversial Blackphone that has run into trouble due to unexpected demand from Islamic State militants, is shifting its focus from consumer products to supplying businesses and governments. [...]
Deferred pay-offs: Executive pay should be linked to long-run performance December 1, 2015 With activists anxious for the UN’s climate change conference in Paris to reach an agreement limiting the average global temperature increase to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, many commentators warn against the catastrophe which awaits us, and the benefits which might come from deferred gratification. Long espoused by successful business leaders, like Amazon’s Jeff [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 roundup: From London Help-to-Buy to potholes, here’s everything the chancellor announced today November 25, 2015 There weren’t many surprises in today’s Autumn Statement – from housing to the Northern Powerhouse, we were fairly well-versed in the measures included. Indeed, shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s decision to quote Mao ZeDong in the Commons may have been more eyebrow-raising than any of George Osborne’s measures. Landlords once again found themselves punished, with a new three [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne’s speech transcript in full including stamp duty, business rates and corporation tax announcements November 25, 2015 Mr Speaker, this Spending Review delivers on the commitment we made to the British people that we would put security first. To protect our economic security, by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. To protect our national security, by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our [...]
This Autumn Statement could significantly change the UK state and the Tories’ fortunes November 23, 2015 For the third time in a year, tomorrow, George Osborne will take to the despatch box to deliver a budget or budget-like statement. We will be treated to a feast of announcements as the Treasury pontificates on just about every policy issue imaginable in its “Autumn Statement” – showing the huge governmental power hoarded within [...]