Tax evasion likely ‘far higher’ than HMRC estimates February 12, 2025 The true scale of tax evasion is likely far higher than HMRC estimates, with the department “not sufficiently curious” about solving the problem, a government committee has said. The UK tax gap was £5.5bn in the 2022-23 financial year, equivalent to around 0.7 per cent of all taxes owed and considerably lower than similar economies. [...]
‘First of its kind’ sustainable skyscraper gets green light from City of London February 11, 2025 Planning permission for an innovative 33-story tower at the old headquarters of M&S has been approved by the City of London Corporation, the latest in a string of top-quality skyscrapers approved in the capital. The building at 70 Gracechurch Street, originally constructed in 1990s as the headquarters for Marks and Spencers, will deliver over 550,000 [...]
Growing with the Vision February 11, 2025 Tasnee is one of Saudi Arabia’s industrial giants. Its chief executive officer Fawaz Al Fawaz tells how the Saudi Vision 2030 is propelling Tasnee’s growth. Fawaz Al Fawaz is the Chief Executive Officer of Tasnee (National Industrialisation Company), the first fully owned joint stock industrial company in the Saudi private sector. It is now one [...]
Londoners are getting a bad deal from local government February 11, 2025 Ever rising council tax means London boroughs are better funded, yet they continue to spend beyond their means, with a £500m shortfall expected this year, says Shimeon Lee London is a city steeped in history. The governance of London is equally ancient, with the City of London dating back to medieval times. Yet while the [...]
Commercial real estate: Why London needs 15 new Walkie Talkies February 11, 2025 Commercial real estate can be the growth lever the government is looking for, but as the industry gathers in London today, the global investment community has its eyes on the current shortfall of London offices, says Philip Hobley As Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves cast around for the `growth lever’ there [...]
Retailers unite to warn Treasury on ‘perfect storm’ of costs February 11, 2025 A heavyweight group of retailers has warned the Treasury that hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk in the retail sector due to unsustainable cost hikes this year. It’s the latest in a long string of warnings from the retail sector, which has been vocal about the coming damage to jobs and investment on [...]
BP shares top the FTSE 100 as Elliott stake ignites breakup chatter February 10, 2025 BP shares jumped to the top of the FTSE 100 this morning as a rumour emerged that an activist hedge fund had taken a position in the stock. Shares in the blue-chip oil giant jumped eight per cent in early deals on the news activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management had built a position in [...]
City of London seizes dockless e-bikes in Lime and Forest crackdown February 10, 2025 The City of London Corporation has seized more than a hundred dockless e-bikes as part of a crackdown against operators’ Lime and Forest. The Square Mile’s local authority said it had confiscated bikes that were found to have obstructed or caused immediate danger to others, over a two-week enforcement period. The bikes were stored in [...]
GDP figures to pile further pressure on Reeves as recession risks mount February 10, 2025 New figures set to be released on Thursday are expected to show that the UK economy shrunk 0.1 per cent in the three months to December.
As tariffs loom, the UK-India trade deal is all the more important February 10, 2025 Tariffs are the road to ruin. But the UK still has many opportunities with trade partners like India, writes Lord Mayor Alastair King.