House prices edge down last month as market slows March 5, 2021 House prices inched down in February as activity slowed but remain more than five per cent up year-on-year, new data released today showed. According to Halifax’s House Price Index, prices dropped 0.1 per cent last month compared to in January, with the average price now £251,697. However, in the quarter from November to February prices [...]
Shadow Chancellor: For UK to succeed, London has to succeed March 5, 2021 More than 300,000 Londoners have lost their jobs since the pandemic began, and some of the sectors that most define our country’s capital – our theatres, galleries, restaurants, bars, hotels, museums and shops – have been particularly badly hit. The city missed out on £11 billion of tourist spending last year. We need a relentless [...]
City Spirits: Put the G&T to the side for a refined rum revolution March 5, 2021 If you’re after a quick and refreshing sundowner, there are fewer drinks easier to throw together than a gin and tonic. The quintessential afternoon tipple, the humble G&T has been the key vehicle for the phenomenal growth in gin – both in sales and in the sheer variety of bottles available to try – over [...]
Freelance creatives could fall through cracks of Rishi budget March 4, 2021 This week Rishi Sunak announced his investment-led recovery budget, pledging an additional £408m stimulus package for the culture sector. This is fantastic news for a creative sector particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID pandemic. The government has divided this relief package into three parts: £300m for the Cultural Recovery Fund (supporting cultural organisations [...]
DEBATE: Is Universal Credit fit for purpose? March 4, 2021 Jonathan Reynolds, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions says NO Universal Credit has failed on its own terms. It is not offering a route out of hardship instead it is perpetuating a cycle of debt and destitution that is hurting our economy. The system starts people off in debt through the five week-wait, [...]
Budget reactions: Optimism and relief to Sunak’s plans March 4, 2021 Following Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement yesterday, of a raft of new support measures alongside plans to shore up Britain’s finances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the details of this year’s Budget gradually become clear to SMEs, entrepreneurs, startups and others in London and across the country. Sunak set out extensions to the furlough [...]
Budweiser invests £115m in UK breweries to pour an extra 630m pints a year March 4, 2021 Budweiser has announced plans to invest more than £115m in its two major UK breweries to improve their infrastructure and create jobs. The beer firm, which is part of drinks giant AB Inbev, will install modern equipment at its South Wales and Lancashire sites to expand capacity in brewing, canning and bottling. The investment will [...]
What will the new tech visa rules mean for UK fintechs? March 4, 2021 Among a raft of new measures announced in the Budget the Chancellor has launched a new visa scheme to retain and attract the tech industry’s top talent. Announcing the Budget on Wednesday Rishi Sunak laid out plans to introduce “fast track” visa applications for people with a job offer from a recognised UK scale-up, together [...]
Sadiq Khan rules out driverless trains as a part of next TfL bailout March 4, 2021 Sadiq Khan has said today that the government will not try to force Transport for London (TfL) to implement driverless trains as a part of current bailout negotiations. Khan told a group of reporters at his re-election campaign launch that the government had dropped any request to bring in driverless trains, after initially asking for [...]
2026 average earnings forecast to be no higher than 2008 level March 4, 2021 Average earnings in 2026 are estimated to be no higher than their 2008 level according to forecasts by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. The findings came as part of the think tank’s response to Rishi Sunak’s budget delivered on Wednesday. As part of his plans, the Chancellor froze the personal allowance on income tax implying [...]