BT and Rolls-Royce investigations: Auditors are not there to find fraud, says accounting body boss July 13, 2017 Accounting investigations into audit sign-offs of two British stalwarts are not a sign the profession is in crisis, a senior figure at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said today. But Vernon Soare, the ICAEW’s chief operating officer, admitted there is an “expectation gap” over the role of the auditor. KPMG [...]
BorrowMyDoggy: The firm matching dogs with people who want to borrow them May 17, 2017 A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.” Not any more, thanks to Rikke Rosenlund, founder of BorrowMyDoggy. As we discovered at a recent Leap 100 breakfast, now a dog can just be for Christmas. Or even a weekend. Rosenlund came up with the idea for BorrowMyDoggy on a summer’s day in 2012, when [...]
WannaCry ransomware NHS cyber attack: A final warning for banks and fintech May 15, 2017 It was the most high profile cyber attack in some time, and one of the largest ever carried out. Governments, hospitals, companies and universities in over 150 countries were affected by the recent ‘WannaCry’ cyber attack, which affected more than 230,000 computers with ransomware and demanded bitcoin payments. Media coverage in the UK focused on [...]
Leaked Labour General Election manifesto reveals Jeremy Corbyn’s plans to renationalise railways, parts of the energy industry and Royal Mail May 10, 2017 Jeremy Corbyn plans to unveil a radical left-wing vision for Britain, including promises to renationalise industries and impose wage caps on companies, according to a leaked draft version of Labour’s General Election manifesto. Under the plan a Labour government would bring the railways, some energy firms, and Royal Mail back into public ownership, according to [...]
UK banks will get transitional period after Brexit to trade in Europe says ECB official March 22, 2017 The European Central Bank (ECB) has said London banks will be able to take advantage of a generous transition period after Brexit – provided they move a big chunk of operations within the EU’s borders. Sabine Lautenschlaeger, an influential member of the governing council of the ECB, said the banking supervisor “will not accept empty [...]
Sir Tim Barrow tells MPs Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented but everybody is prepared to get going March 20, 2017 The UK's ambassador to the EU told MPs today Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented, but he is confident everybody is prepared to stick to the two-year Article 50 timetable. Sir Tim Barrow also told the European Scrutiny Committee: The truth is, nobody has done this sort of negotiation before. A lot of the speculation [about how [...]
Now the legal eagles are urging the government to seek a bespoke Brexit agreement for the City, while warning a “no deal” situation would have serious consequences March 16, 2017 Legal eagles have today become the latest in a string of experts calling on the government to secure a bespoke deal for the financial sector in the Brexit negotiations. The report from the Bar Council warns London's status as a financial capital risks being "greatly diminished" if the country cannot find a suitable alternative for [...]
The UK will get a US free trade deal post-Brexit – but Donald Trump will drive a hard bargain March 13, 2017 Back in 1783, when Britain signed a trade deal with the fledgling United States as part of the Treaty of Paris which concluded the revolutionary war, the world-class British delegation was infinitely more experienced and better prepared than their novice American counterparts. Sadly, this is not the case today. Fast forward 234 years and Britain’s [...]
Redirect £76bn from former EU budget to fuel inclusive growth says RSA commission March 7, 2017 The government should reroute billions of pounds that currently goes to the EU budget to support inclusive growth after Brexit, according to a commission set up by businesses, local government and non-profit groups. A new £76bn fund would deliver growth across the whole of the UK, lowering inequality and raising overall productivity, the report by [...]
Former Tesco finance chief Laurie McIlwee to join the board of Giraffe restaurant chain and Ed’s Easy Diner parent group March 7, 2017 A former Tesco finance chief is poised to join the board of the restaurant group that owns the likes of Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner, according to reports. Laurie McIlwee has been appointed executive chairman of Boparan Restaurant Group, Sky News reported, months after being cleared of any involvement in Tesco’s 2014 profit overstatement scandal. Read [...]