UK current account deficit £18bn bigger in 2015 than previously thought says Office for National Statistics (ONS) August 21, 2017 The UK’s mammoth current account deficit was £18bn larger than previously thought in 2015, according to revisions to the national accounts released today by government statisticians. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the revisions today ahead of changes to how the national accounts are collated, which will be begin with revised national accounts figures [...]
Shin Godzilla film review: A delightfully silly, politically astute return to the schlocky origins of the world’s favourite monster August 11, 2017 He may be approaching retirement age, but 63-year-old Godzilla can still bring home the bacon. A big-budget Warner Bros movie pitting him against fellow monster King Kong is currently in the pipeline, and Bryan Cranston’s 2014 reboot made more than $500m at the box office. Shin Godzilla – or “Godzilla Resurgence” as it’s translated for [...]
City of London’s top EU envoy slams “bewildering” Brussels approach to negotiations: The colourful European dispatches of Jeremy Browne revealed August 10, 2017 The City of London’s top Brexit envoy has slammed Brussels’ approach to negotiating with the UK as “bewildering” and “reckless”. Documents seen by City A.M. show former Lib Dem Home Office minister Jeremy Browne, the City of London Corporation’s special representative to the EU, is also fearful that the bloc is “affronted by the idea [...]
UK trade balance widens again a year after the Brexit vote August 10, 2017 Britain’s trade deficit with the rest of the world went up again in June, as the amount of goods and services being imported to the country grew. The UK’s total trade deficit widened by £2bn to £4.6bn, according to the Office for National Statistics. This marks the widest gap since September last year. Read more: [...]
Landing cards to be scrapped under Home Office plans to modernise border control August 5, 2017 Non-european travellers will no longer have to fill in landing cards when arriving in the UK under new proposals announced by the Home Office today. The paper-based system, which has been in use for nearly half a century, is expected to be scrapped in the autumn. Read more: Ryanair boss warns of “no holidays” in [...]
The London Stock Exchange Group has started using blockchain technology July 19, 2017 London Stock Exchange Group will use blockchain technology to help un-listed businesses make shareholding information more transparent. It will use IBM’s hyperledger technology to make the information of small and medium sized private companies digital, which the exchange hopes can give them access to more mature investors. A small trial will initially begin with Borsa [...]
Sector charge for more women to get top jobs in finance gathers pace as firms shake up succession planning and hiring practices July 9, 2017 A push to secure more women top roles in the finance sector is gathering pace, as a fresh batch of firms have signed up to a charter devised by the Treasury to build the pipeline of female talent for leadership positions. Some 25 new firms have signed up to the Women in Finance Charter, taking [...]
Editor’s Notes: If politicians want to win back trust they should start by ditching the lies, plus: Downing Street’s new BBC hire, measuring GDP and innovative Estonia July 7, 2017 This afternoon I’m hosting a discussion on the theme of experts and how to earn trust in a post-truth world. On the panel will be Andy Haldane of the Bank of England, Hetan Shah of the Royal Statistical Society and Julia Grant of Pro Bono Economics. Our host is the consultancy giant FTI, which has [...]
The history of colour paints: Patrick Baty, Britain’s foremost paint historian unearths hidden treasure in his first book The Anatomy of Colour June 29, 2017 After a fire raged through Hampton Court Palace, a huge restoration effort took place to restore its historic halls and royal bedchambers. Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for maintaining the building, reached out for new interior designers in some cases, but what they needed most was experts to emulate the architecture as accurately as [...]
Global cyber attack hits UK firms as WPP reports hack June 27, 2017 A massive cyber attack which has hit a number of institutions in Ukraine appears to be spreading across Europe. Several firms, banks and government offices in Ukraine began to report attacks earlier today caused by ransomware named “Petya”. London-based advertising giant WPP has reported problems with its IT systems caused by a “suspected cyber attack”, [...]