Rishi Sunak: For young people, working from home is no substitute for office August 3, 2021 Rishi Sunak has said that working from home is not nearly as “valuable” for young people’s career progression as going into the office, after the government changed its guidance. “The mentors I found when I first started my job I still talk to and they have been helpful to me even after we have gone [...]
Rishi Sunak renews call for City workers to get back to the office August 2, 2021 Rishi Sunak has renewed calls for young City workers to get back to the office now the government’s work from home order has been dropped. The chancellor recalled how his career as a young investment banker was helped by making relationships in the office with older colleagues. Speaking about a recent visit to Scotland where [...]
Treasury appoints Unilever veteran to chair UK Government Investments August 2, 2021 The Treasury has appointed a Unilever veteran as its new chair of UK Government Investments, who will join the board in September. Vindi Banga is set to join UK Government Investments (UKGI), an arm of the Treasury, alongside his current role of chair at charity Marie Curie. The incoming chair is also a senior non-executive [...]
Tory row erupts over government plans to start amber watchlist for travel August 2, 2021 A government plan to bring in a watchlist for countries at threat of being put on the red travel list has been heavily criticised a growing group of Tory MPs. The government is expected to make the announcement later this week in a move that some say will cripple the aviation and travel industry. The [...]
Tory donors warn Boris Johnson that tax rises will kill off economic recovery August 1, 2021 Prominent Tory donors have urged Boris Johnson not to implement tax rises this autumn as they fear it could hamper the post-Covid economic recovery. Johnson and Rishi Sunak are expected to soon announce a 1 per cent increase in National Insurance in a bid to fix gaps in the health and social care sectors. Sunak [...]
As furlough support drops to 60 per cent today, one in five plan to let staff go August 1, 2021 Extra training is required to deal with the “many thousands” of redundancies being predicted as furlough support tapers off, the British Chamber of Commerce has said. A survey of businesses found that one in five firms plan on letting staff go in response to today’s furlough policy change, which will see employers asked to contribute [...]
Rishi Sunak warns Boris Johnson travel restrictions are ‘out of step’ August 1, 2021 The Chancellor has warned Boris Johnson that the UK’s travel restrictions are “out of step” with its international rivals as he pushes for holiday rules to be relaxed, according to reports. The Sunday Times reports today that Rishi Sunak has written to the Prime Minister about the damage that the current border rules are doing [...]
Budget delay hinted at as Rishi Sunak fails to name day July 30, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has sparked speculation of delays to the budget, after failing to announce a date when publishing new forecasts, as is normally expected. Sunak said he had instructed the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare to present an economic and fiscal forecast to parliament on October 27, according to reports. The forecast [...]
Number of workers on furlough reaches pandemic-low as nearly 600k exit scheme July 29, 2021 The number of people on furlough has reached the lowest level since the scheme was launched in response to the Covid crisis in March last year after nearly 600k workers exited the scheme, new figures released today show. 1.9m people were on furlough at the end of June, down from 2.4m in May, driven by [...]
Cost of the UK’s new royal yacht increases by £100m in one week July 29, 2021 The cost of the UK’s new royal yacht appears to have increased by £100m in the past week alone before any contract has even been awarded. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) last week said the total budget of the new ship – branded officially as a “national flagship” – was £150m in a formal invitation [...]