Unemployment has stabilised but there will be economic pain ahead April 21, 2021 There are high levels of business optimism. Survey after survey has told us this, from reports from Deloitte on large companies to evidence from the Federation of Small Businesses. Consumer savings are at an all-time high. People are itching to get out and spend the money they have been forced to accumulate. All in all, [...]
Cabinet ministers back Tory push against Sunak for lower taxes post-Covid April 21, 2021 Some of Boris Johnson’s highest profile cabinet members are among 46 Tory MPs that today backed a new campaign group aiming to push Rishi Sunak to adopt a more low-tax agenda post-Covid. The Free Market Forum, run by the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, will look to “refocus the political debate” toward “free enterprise [...]
Downing Street cancels televised press briefings after spending £2.6m on new studio April 20, 2021 Boris Johnson has moved to cancel plans to start White House style televised press briefings, after spending £2.6m on a new studio in Number 9 Downing Street. The Times is reporting that Allegra Stratton, previously hired as press secretary to run the press conferences, would become the Prime Minister’s spokesperson for the COP26 climate conference. [...]
No, minister, really: the David Cameron lobbying scandal and the death of advice in Whitehall April 20, 2021 The revelations of potentially undue influence on ministers over the past couple of weeks have been a happy hunting ground for purveyors of hyperbole and clutchers of pearls. A story which began with David Cameron texting the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on behalf of a company which employed him has blossomed ferociously into a soup-to-nuts scandal [...]
Young people hit disproportionately by Covid jobs crisis April 20, 2021 Those aged under 35 disproportionately lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as sectors like hospitality and retail were hit particularly hard by the crisis. In the year to March, nearly 635,000 under-35s saw payroll job losses in the UK, making up 80 per cent of the total payroll jobs lost during [...]
Furious landlord kicks Keir Starmer out of Bath pub following heated row over lockdown restrictions April 19, 2021 A furious pub landlord today shouted at Labour leader Keir Starmer to “get out of my pub” following a heated exchange between the two about coronavirus restrictions. Rod Humphris, landlord of The Raven pub in Bath, shouted “that man is not allowed in my pub” while being restrained by a person who appeared to be [...]
Treasury to move forward with recommendations set out in listings review April 19, 2021 The Treasury will move forward with recommendations made by Lord Hill to encourage more fintechs to list in the UK. Last month the former EU commissioner published a set of recommendations which called for a range of deregulatory measures. Among the recommendations was the use of dual class shares, which allow company founders to maintain [...]
UK banks launch new low-deposit mortgage scheme April 19, 2021 High street banks will today begin offering mortgages with a deposit of just five per cent under a new government-backed scheme. The scheme, first announced in the Budget, is designed to make home ownership more affordable for first-time buyers. Borrowers will be able to secure a mortgage with just a five per cent deposit on [...]
All living Prime Ministers out of politics set to give evidence at lobbying inquiry April 18, 2021 Every living former Prime Minister that is not still involved in Westminster politics will be asked to give evidence at a major parliamentary inquiry into lobbying and anti-corruption. The probe is set to be announced tomorrow and it will be ran by Westminster’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee (PACAC). David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair [...]
Cabinet minister says David Cameron did nothing wrong in Greensill lobbying scandal April 18, 2021 Environment secretary George Eustice has defended David Cameron for his role in the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal, saying the former Prime Minister did nothing wrong. Eustice said today that Cameron “meticulously observed the rules” around lobbying, but that he perhaps should have written instead of texted ministers when working for the failed finance firm Greensill [...]