The government is taking a gamble with its immigration reform February 20, 2020 The Brexit pennies just keep on dropping. First there was a mixture of genuine and feigned shock when the government announced it would not align itself with EU regulations. Now, the publication of a new immigration strategy has some people up in arms at the prospect of reform. But with the UK leaving the EU [...]
HSBC’s drastic reforms still leave the big questions unanswered February 19, 2020 Noel Quinn may only be an interim chief executive at HSBC but there’s nothing temporary about the sweeping changes he announced yesterday. The dramatic reduction in headcount goes further than the 10,000 figure he floated in October last year, when he said “there is scope throughout the bank to clarify and simplify roles.” Now we [...]
Employers told to break reliance on ‘cheap EU labour’ February 18, 2020 Employer groups are already pushing back after being warned that the UK’s new work visa system will block them from relying on “cheap EU labour”. Home secretary Priti Patel will today add more detail to plans for expanding the points-based work visa system to include EU migrant workers — which will replace freedom of movement [...]
Retail investors exposed to too much risk, says City watchdog February 18, 2020 Retail investors are being pushed into purchasing higher risk products that expose them to more risk than they can afford, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned. In its annual report on the areas that could harm consumers, the City watchdog said that the sale of “unsuitable or fraudulent products” represents the most significant harm [...]
Five things you need to know about HSBC’s radical overhaul strategy February 18, 2020 Banking giant HSBC today launched one of the most radical strategic overhauls by a blue-chip lender in the past decade in a bid to revitalise its stuttering operations. HSBC is seeking to slash annual costs by $4.5bn and shed $100bn of assets by 2022 in a bid to keep pace with leaner and more focused [...]
HSBC: Profit plunges as bank plans 35,000 job cuts February 18, 2020 HSBC has outlined plans to offload $100bn (£77bn) of assets and dramatically downsize its investment banking arm in a restructure that will cost 35,000 jobs over the next three years. Profit before tax tumbled by a third to $13.6bn in 2019, HSBC said as it revealed its most radical overhaul since the financial crisis in [...]
When is the UK Budget 2020? February 14, 2020 The UK Budget 2020 is due next month but after the shock resignation of Sajid Javid this week the government may be forced to delay the date. The official date for the Budget 2020 is 11 March but the government so far has not confirmed it will go ahead after the reshuffle which saw Rishi [...]
RBS to rebrand as Natwest as bank posts £4.2bn profit under new boss Alison Rose February 14, 2020 Royal Bank of Scotland reported profit of £4.2bn for 2019 today, beating its financial targets as new boss Alison Rose outlined a rebrand of the bank to its Natwest name. But RBS’s share price sank 6.4 per cent to lead the FTSE 100 fallers today. Traders reacted badly to a cautious outlook on growth amid [...]
The high streets paved with gold: Flat prices are skyrocketing on these London roads February 14, 2020 The Great British High Street has a lost a bit of its lustre in recent years. Handfuls of household-name retailers have hit the rocks, thanks to customers gravitating away from big chains in favour of local independents, as well as being seduced by the ease of online shopping. But while shops are floundering, the market [...]
Retail bosses call for business rates reform in 2020 budget February 13, 2020 Major UK retailers, including Debenhams, Sainsbury’s and M&S, have this morning called on the chancellor to take action on business rates reform in the upcoming budget. Retail bosses representing some of the country’s biggest high street chains have written to Sajid Javid urging him to outline plans to reform the transitional relief system in the budget [...]