Liz Truss to turn up pressure on Australian government in bid to land trade deal April 21, 2021 International trade secretary Liz Truss is preparing to pile pressure onto her Australian counterpart in a bid to land a free trade deal. She will meet with Australian trade minister Dan Tehan in face-to-face meetings in London this week to try and make progress on the deal, which has long been expected to be the [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? April 21, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. In this week’s City Moves, we have a host of newly created roles making their way across the Square Mile. From chief data officers to directors of environment social and governance – the [...]
Post-Brexit law change: Cashback without purchase to be allowed across UK April 21, 2021 Corner shops, pubs and cafes will soon be able to offer cashback without people having to make a purchase first. The move comes after the government agreed changes in the House of Lords to the Financial Services Bill, which has almost completed its passage through Parliament. Hailing it as a “welcome step towards protecting access [...]
Quarter of people meant to isolate after arriving in the UK are not checked for compliance April 20, 2021 Up to a quarter of people who are meant to isolate at home when entering the UK from abroad do not get checked on by the authorities, the Home Office has admitted. In a letter to MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, home secretary Priti Patel admitted that for the week [...]
UK scraps post-Brexit Kent permit for lorries April 20, 2021 The UK has decided to scrap the post-Brexit Kent Access Permit required for lorry drivers to enter the county on their way to the EU. The government has said the permit is no longer necessary as lorry companies are now used to new customs rules and are coming prepared with the right paperwork for border [...]
The hidden impact of Brexit: Supply chains are failing UK trade and construction firms April 20, 2021 Since the reopening of the construction sector in the summer of 2020, confidence has been sky high, with last month’s the highest on record since 2014. According to figures from IHS Markit/CIPS, the growth of output had grown in line with increased commercial, domestic and civil engineering projects. These works have largely come in the form of restarting delayed projects, critically [...]
Shaun Bailey London mayor election manifesto: Everything you need to know April 19, 2021 Conservative mayor of London candidate Shaun Bailey today launched his election manifesto, with polling day on 6 May now just weeks away. The 56-page document outlined policies on areas such as the economy, the environment, transport, crime, housing and transport. City A.M. went through the manifesto with a fine tooth comb to bring you a snapshot of the [...]
HSBC scraps executive floor in Canary Wharf in favour of hot-desking April 19, 2021 HSBC has scrapped the entire executive floor at its Canary Wharf headquarters in the latest change to its post-pandemic working practices. The 42nd floor, which was previously home to executives, will be used for client meeting rooms and collaborative spaces while top managers will hot desk on the open-plan 40th floor. “Our offices were empty [...]
National Audit Office launches investigation into Greensill’s involvement in Covid loan schemes April 16, 2021 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched a probe into supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital following its collapse. Last month the supply chain finance firm appointed Grant Thornton as its administrators, warning it is in “severe financial distress” as its practices came under severe scrutiny. Now the NAO will investigate Greensill’s involvement in the [...]
UK population growth hit record low, ONS data suggests April 16, 2021 The UK population grew by just 0.5 per cent from 2019 to June last year, in what would be one of the smallest increases on record. Preliminary analysis by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggested that the population grew by 316,000 people, to 67.1m in total. “There is significant interest in what impact the [...]