Furlough ends today: 1m Brits in limbo as thousands of firms face bankruptcy September 30, 2021 Uncertainty looms for the future of almost one million furloughed Brits as the government’s £70bn support programme ends today, after helping out millions of workers across the UK over the last 18 months. Economists have warned that although many may find work in recovering sectors such as hospitality and travel, there is also likely to [...]
Labour goes into bat for the City of London in future trade deals September 28, 2021 Labour is calling for the government to include more provisions for financial services in the UK’s post-Brexit trade deals, with one shadow cabinet minister praising the “tremendous work” of the City during Covid. Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said at a fringe event at the Labour conference that the economic crisis would have been [...]
End of furlough: ‘Time for the UK economy to put its big girl pants on’ September 27, 2021 This week, the government’s £70bn furlough support scheme comes to an end. The end of the Job Retention Scheme, or furlough, will force organisations to make decisions regarding the future of furloughed employees. City A.M. sought the views of a number of small business owners about whether now is the correct time to remove the [...]
‘Triple-whammy’ of inflation, energy bills and tax rises to eat into household budgets September 26, 2021 Incoming budget pressures over the next six months could squeeze the budgets of many Brits. In fact, a “triple-whammy” may leave low income families more than £1,000 worse off annually, according to a think tank. Inflation, rising energy bills and the looming health and social care tax could leave households worse off even after increases [...]
Government to scale up nuclear power production after ‘years of dithering’ September 26, 2021 The government will back a rapid expansion of the UK’s nuclear energy production after “years of dithering” as the energy crisis prompts it to strengthen the country’s electricity supply. Ministers are understood to have zeroed in on nuclear energy as a means to helping the government achieve its net zero target by 2050, according to [...]
Takeaways threatened: Customers may pay extra £2bn after tax hike September 24, 2021 Consumers could end up paying an extra £2bn for takeaways, ahead of rises in VAT, the British Takeaway Campaign has warned. VAT for hospitality is to rise to 12.5 per cent next month, ahead of another hike up to 20 per cent in March next year, to the frustration of beleaguered food bosses. Takeaway operators [...]
ONS: Seven in 10 workers are back in the office as September surge acclerates September 24, 2021 Seven in 10 workers in the UK are back in the office as the September surge back to pre-pandemic working practices accelerates, according to official figures. 70.1 per cent of workers are back at their normal place of work, research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows. The figures come as usage of Transport [...]
City braces itself for more rules as Rishi Sunak orders financial regulation reviews September 24, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ordered two immediate reviews of UK financial regulation following a report by the Treasury select committee on the collapse of Greensill Capital. In a letter published on Friday, Sunak insisted the Treasury acted “entirely appropriately” in its handling of David Cameron’s Greensill lobbying efforts. Sunak hit back at the report which [...]
Treasury behaved “entirely appropriately” in Greensill scandal, says Sunak September 24, 2021 Rishi Sunak has insisted the Treasury acted “entirely appropriately” in its handling of David Cameron’s Greensill lobbying efforts. The Chancellor hit back at a Treasury Committee report which called for lobbying rules to be tightened and suggested Greensill may have been treated differently as a result of Mr Cameron’s influence. The politically connected finance firm [...]
British businesses return £300m in furlough cash as spectre of Covid recedes September 21, 2021 UK businesses returned £300m in furlough cash, triggered by the spectre of Covid-19 over the British economy receding, according to official figures released today. The repayment now takes the total amount of money returned to the public coffers to £1.3bn since July last year, the Treasury said. Rishi Sunak, chancellor, said: “This Government stepped in [...]