Culture shock May 20, 2021 Covid-19 has left the UK’s world-leading arts sector fighting for survival. As museums and theatres prepare to reopen, four expert CAs tell us how their work has been upended and what their recovery roadmaps look like. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. All dramatists know the importance of a happy ending; the gratifying [...]
Retirement planning? Sorry, we’re too busy watching Netflix May 19, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has led many people around the world to reassess their priorities and goals. Many countries have seen infection rates soar through various waves of the virus, resulting in widespread lockdowns with large parts of their economies closed and people forced to remain at home. In a more uncertain world, people have also [...]
Keir Starmer was right on one thing in his reshuffle – we need a Future of Work Secretary May 15, 2021 After a poor set of local election results and a botched reshuffle, Labour hasn’t had the best of weeks. But one thing it may have gotten right is the appointment of Angela Rayner as “shadow secretary for the future of work”. While it is easy to mock the elaborate titles bestowed on the deputy leader [...]
SFO launches money laundering probe into Gupta family over ties to Greensill Capital May 14, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said this morning it is launching an investigation into the Gupta Family Group Alliance. “The SFO is investigating suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), including its financing arrangements with Greensill [...]
75 per cent of nightlife venues face bankruptcy when rent moratorium ends May 13, 2021 There is a £2.5bn pandemic-induced rent crisis brewing in the nightlife industry, according to the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which has urged the government today to offer a solution. Rising rent arrears threatens to bankrupt 75 per cent of commercial tenants in the sector, once the government’s rent moratorium ends in July, the nightclubs, [...]
Myth-Busting: Money printing must create inflation May 11, 2021 London ranks ninth on the UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index for residential properties. Like in many other countries, property prices in the United Kingdom reached an all-time high in 2020. A global pandemic with sudden mass unemployment should have forced UK citizens to sell their homes, but the furlough policies, stamp duty holidays, and record-low interest rates [...]
One in three Londoners suffer income drop during pandemic, study finds May 8, 2021 Almost one in three Londoners experienced a fall in income during the pandemic, the joint highest of any region in the UK, new data has shown. The income pressure was driven by the disruption inflicted on retail and hospitality throughout the Covid crisis, according to research gathered by consultancy firm Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP). [...]
BA pilots hail ‘incredible and emotional’ medical aid flight to India May 5, 2021 The British Airways pilots flying an aircraft packed with 27 tonnes of medical aid to India have hailed the hard work that has gone into getting the flight off the ground. The airline said the load included hundreds of oxygen cylinders, plus respirators, blood oxygen saturation monitors and care packages. A total of 1,349 items [...]
‘I’m somebody who enjoys winning’: Sadiq Khan plots out a second mayoral term May 4, 2021 If the polls are to be believed Sadiq Khan will win Thursday’s mayor of London election by a record margin. Khan’s 20+ point lead has never slipped and his opponents have never laid a glove on him, despite having an extra year of campaigning thanks to Covid. The Labour incumbent has ran an energetic and [...]
Could the UK be headed for a post-pandemic baby boom? April 24, 2021 Normally, social and financial instability can send birth numbers plummeting. But the UK could in fact be heading for another baby boom – even after a year of lockdowns. This could help spur on Britain’s recovery from the pandemic and drive a fresh period of economic prosperity. In May last year there was a dip [...]