HMRC to crack down on umbrella companies used to hire temp workers December 1, 2021 The government's tax department plans to crack down on umbrella companies avoiding paying workers and their taxes.
KPMG in danger of being banned from bidding for government contracts December 1, 2021 KPMG have been threatened by the government with a ban on bidding for public contracts if there are any more scandals at the Big Four consulting firm, according to reports. The Cabinet Office issued its warning in a letter to KPMG, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the news. The ominous letter, which [...]
‘Cash machine at the till’ for withdrawals up to £50 coming to thousands of shops across the UK December 1, 2021 People can soon withdraw up to £50 in notes and coins in smaller shops without having to buy anything. A scheme enabling people to get cash from retailers’ tills without needing to make a purchase is to be rolled out to more than 2,000 shops before the end of the year. Cash machine network Link [...]
Cocktail of headwinds freeze business confidence November 30, 2021 A cocktail of soaring inflation, ongoing staff shortages and looming tax hikes is leaving optimism about the UK economy among business leaders unstuck, according to new research published today. The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) economic confidence index, a closely watched survey taking the pulse of optimism among business leaders, remained unchanged at minus six in [...]
UK economy to return to anaemic growth as cost of living crisis spikes Brits November 30, 2021 A triple threat of a worsening cost of living crisis, higher interest rates and a pulling of government Covid-19 support will throw the UK economy back into an anaemic state, according to new research published today. Swelling energy bills and rising costs for basic necessities will cause households on tight budgets to rein in spending, [...]
Leading UK businesses hand over half of their income to government through taxes November 30, 2021 The UK’s leading businesses are handing over half of the money they generate to the government in taxes, according to a fresh study published today. FTSE 100 companies gave up 53.2 per cent of their income to the public coffers last year, illuminating the heavy tax burden British businesses are being shackled with. Over one [...]
Boris and the blue wall: Can the PM hold the Tories’ new electoral coalition together? November 29, 2021 The story of Boris Johnson’s 2019 General Election landslide was the political realignment that saw swathes of traditional Labour areas turn blue across the North and the Midlands. However, Johnson’s electoral offering and tilt toward the so-called Red Wall may have had unintended consequences on the UK’s political geography. The Conservatives under Boris Johnson are [...]
Tory by-election candidate says levelling up agenda includes outer London November 28, 2021 The Conservative candidate in an upcoming by-election has claimed the government’s levelling up agenda includes poorer parts of outer London. Old Bexley and Sidcup candidate Louie French told City A.M. that Boris Johnson’s flagship agenda, generally thought to only encompass the Midlands and the North, “completely” includes economically deprived areas of the capital and that [...]
Rebel Tory MP Steve Baker to set up new campaign to push low-tax agenda November 28, 2021 Perennial rebel Tory MP Steve Baker is setting up a new Westminster campaign group to push Boris Johnson to adopt a low tax, small state position in the wake of a series of tax rises. Baker, who has a history of running successful parliamentary rebellions against Tory Prime Ministers, is planning to run a campaign [...]
The boring predictability of our rule of law will ensure Britain’s success November 26, 2021 Power doesn’t disappear overnight. In the immortal words of Paul Simon, it slip slides away. In Helmand, Afghanistan I realised things were falling apart when people stopped coming to the government to resolve disputes. They turned to the Taliban instead. That was 15 years before the end. Subtly, almost unnoticed, here was proof that people [...]