Levelling up must mean unleashing our post-Brexit potential to reel in global investment May 18, 2021 Our recovery from the pandemic, delivering the benefits of Brexit and fulfilling the levelling up agenda are the three cornerstone challenges Boris Johnson is facing. Investment is a key to all of those. Rishi Sunak recognised that in the budget with policy initiatives ranging from super deductions to special economic zones. Public investment alone, however, [...]
‘Ferocious’ row blazing in Whitehall over Australia trade deal May 18, 2021 Ministers are divided over whether to sign off a trade deal with Australia after the department of agriculture and the department of internal trade could not come to an agreement on the terms. Ministers were battling over whether to grant tariff-free access to Australian farmers, the Financial Times reported, a move that could spark backlash [...]
UK government to set up new unit to exploit ‘Brexit opportunities’ May 17, 2021 The UK government is setting up a new unit to explore “Brexit opportunities” particularly around shedding EU regulations, according to Lord David Frost. Frost, the minister for UK-EU relations, said he was helping hire a new head of the unit that will come from outside government and that it would explore things like changing financial [...]
Covid-19: Cost of UK’s pandemic response climbs to £372bn May 17, 2021 The UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has now racked up costs of £372bn, according to the latest official estimates. In a new update to its Covid-19 cost tracker, the National Audit Office (NAO) said £372bn was the estimated total cost of emergency financial support as of May 2021. This marks an increase of over [...]
Musk’s mischief rumbles on as Bitcoin falls, but ADA adds a touch of green to a red weekend May 17, 2021 Elon Musk's mischief rumbles on as Bitcoin markets are left shaken, but Cardano's ADA adds a touch of green to an otherwise red weekend.
London offices get facelift in lockdown despite pandemic May 17, 2021 New construction starts in London have jumped by one-fifth in the six months to March 2021, despite the pandemic and changing working practices, research by Deloitte has found. New office starts are up to 3.1 million square feet, Deloitte found, with 32 new schemes breaking ground during the six months. More than half (56%) of [...]
BDO becomes latest auditor to tell staff to work where they like May 17, 2021 BDO has told staff to decide where they would like to work post-pandemic, in a move that adopts a more flexible model than some of its rivals. The challenger audit firm will ask staff to work wherever is most productive, depending upon the task they are doing. For most people this will likely mean a [...]
WFH: ‘Like the internet before, we’re at an inflection in the history of work’ May 14, 2021 The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent switch to home working has put us at a pivotal moment in history that could change how we do things forever, according to a specialist. We are about to see a dramatic shift to hybrid working in a post-pandemic world, according to research director Alexia Cambon, who, [...]
Brexit transfers: Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley move senior City dealmakers to the EU May 14, 2021 Investment giants Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Barclays have started to move a range of senior bankers from their offices in Canary Wharf and the City to financial hubs across the EU. Ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s access to the EU’s financial services market, combined with pandemic damage and pressure from local regulators, has led [...]
Sadiq Khan needs to get real on housing – Londoners deserve it May 14, 2021 After a surprisingly close race, Sadiq Khan has secured another term as Mayor of London. He has promised to rebuild London, post pandemic, and announced big spending plans to bring life back to the capital. Piccadilly Circus now has its very own David Hockney design. But Khan has failed to put forward a coherent policy [...]