UK public services struggling despite near 70-year tax high, report warns February 23, 2023 UK public services can no longer match people’s expectations despite the tax burden being on course to hit a 70-year high, a think tank report has warned. Government decisions to date have done “little to shift the dial,” the Institute for Government (IfG) and CIPFA warned today in their latest performance tracker on the state-run [...]
Royal Mail tracked staff to see how fast they worked, admits disgraced boss to MPs February 22, 2023 Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson was forced to acknowledge that technology had been used to track workers after being dragged back to face a parliamentary committee. Weeks after his original hearing caused uproar amongst staff Thompson, who was on this occasion ordered to swear under oath, told parliament that had been 16 occasions in the [...]
Florian Zeller interview: The Son director on fighting the shame of mental illness February 22, 2023 Who among us hasn’t dreamed of a meeting that forever changes the direction of their life? This is exactly what happened to French author, playwright and director Florian Zeller. The meeting in question came about after Zeller had adapted a screenplay from his harrowing 2012 portrait of dementia The Father, in which he tailored the [...]
Migration Museum gets new home in Square Mile as refugee developer stumps up 60-years rent-free space February 21, 2023 A multi-million pound development in the Square Mile will give a new home to the Migration Museum and provide hundreds of affordable apartments. 65 Crutched Friars near Tower Hill will be transformed into a 21-storey state-of-the-art site and has been granted 60-years rent-free space by the developer. Dubbed “Britain’s gateway to the world for thousands [...]
Jeremy Hunt faces calls for March budget giveaways after UK borrows £30bn less than forecast February 21, 2023 The UK government spent less than it reaped in from taxpayers last month helping to push yearly borrowing £30bn lower than projected by forecasters, officials figures out today reveal. The difference between what the government generated in revenue and spent hit a positive £5.4bn, meaning the UK’s public finances were in surplus last month, according [...]
How the metaverse will empower the future of hybrid work February 21, 2023 Jawad Ashraf, CEO and co-founder, Virtua shares his thoughts on how the metaverse will change the way we all work.
Brits flocked back to hotels in post Covid rebound as Holiday Inn owner’s revenue up 34 per cent February 21, 2023 Holiday Inn owner Intercontinental Hotels Group experienced a strong post-pandemic rebound, with revenues up 34 per cent in 2022 as consumer demand for hotels soared. The group, which has over 50 hotels across London, posted total revenues of $3.bn (£3.22bn) in the year ending December 2022, up 34 per cent from $2.90bn (£2.41bn) in the [...]
Culture war concerns are creating new divisions for Conservatives to traverse February 20, 2023 Rishi Sunak has dug a line in the sand on culture war issues, but it's already created new ideological division which could split the Conservative Party, writes Eliot Wilson
Week ahead: UK January borrowing bill to hit £5bn to pay for cost of living support, experts predict February 19, 2023 Britain is expected to have borrowed around £5bn last month, largely to pay for household energy support, new figures out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week are poised to show. The difference between what the government spends and takes in tax revenue – the deficit – is likely to have been kept [...]
Size doesn’t matter: Why the ‘race for space’ in London property is over February 17, 2023 The pandemic had some strange effects on the London housing market. Being cooped up made people realise the importance of having space, both indoor and outdoor, which led to the so-called “race for space” and a minor London exodus. More than 100,000 Londoners exited the city in 2021, many taking up homes in the surrounding [...]