Laying down the law on M&A and sell offs September 22, 2014 LAW FIRM of the year The past year has seen law firms work with the government and banks on the selling of shares and on the investigations into alleged failings at big companies. Against that backdrop lawyers have also started to benefit from the upturn in the M&A and financing markets, beefing up their private [...]
Mace wins £400m contract to develop BBC Television Centre September 17, 2014 CONSTRUCTION firm Mace has been picked as the preferred building manager for the redevelopment of the BBC Television Centre in West London, development company Stanhope said yesterday. The contract, which is understood to be worth around £400m, is a major coup for the company after losing out to Swedish rival Skanska last week on a [...]
Cameron vows to hunt down ISIS terror killers September 14, 2014 DAVID Cameron yesterday promised to “hunt down” the Islamic State (IS) terrorist who beheaded UK national David Haines, warning the government would stop at nothing to see justice served. “This is a despicable and appalling murder of an innocent aid worker. It is an act of pure evil,” the Prime Minister said in a statement. [...]
City offices at their fullest since the crash September 14, 2014 FIRMS are flooding back to London, driving occupancy rates in the square mile back up to their highest rate since the credit crunch struck, a study from TheCityUK shows today. Employment in the City has also hit a post-crash high, and the number of senior staff gaining permission to work in finance is also up. [...]
The five questions Obama must answer to prove Iraq disasters won’t be repeated September 11, 2014 We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.” – John F Kennedy, Profiles in Courage I HAVE a theory about those of us engaged in politics or political analysis; each of us will have a “Profiles in Courage” [...]
In charts: Half of women don’t have private pensions September 11, 2014 Despite the maximum state pension being only £113.10 a week, just under half the people in the UK don't pay into a private pension scheme. This includes a third of employees – half of the self-employed and 80 per cent of unemployed people are also without a plan. The data was published by the Office [...]
No change in the gender split and none of the most populous six countries gets a vice presidency: Who’s who in Juncker’s commission September 11, 2014 Back in 2012, the European Commission decided it would tackle gender inequality and "break the glass ceiling that continues to bar female talent from top positions in Europe’s biggest companies." The target it set was 40 per cent, despite the fact that at the time the gender split was 19-9 in its own executive – [...]
Scottish independence: Lloyds and RBS to move HQ to London if Scots vote Yes September 10, 2014 Lloyds Banking Group will move its official headquarters out of Scotland if the country votes for independence in next week’s referendum. The banking group which owns Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland largely operate from its London headquarters, however the bank’s registered offices are in Edinburgh. Lloyds confirmed that its contingency plans in the [...]
Acquisitions and a rise in diversity mark year September 8, 2014 ACCOUNTANCY FIRM of the year IT’S been a tough year for many accountancy firms – making it a very tough decision for our judges to make. However, it has also been a year of opportunity, as the achievements of our nominees prove. These companies have forged ahead, seeking new markets – especially in London’s growing [...]
Taxman’s revolution: HMRC is setting the pace in digital government reform September 8, 2014 JUST like innovative private sector organisations, the government, as a provider of services to the nation’s citizens, needs to reflect and respond to the changing demands of those it serves. This is especially relevant to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which must provide effective, efficient and impartial services to its 41m individual and 5m [...]