Unemployment claims in London airport communities rise at double the national rate March 1, 2021 The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose at double the national rate in communities around London’s biggest airports in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel industry, leading to airlines and airports slashing thousands of jobs to stay afloat. In Hayes and Harlington, Heathrow’s local constituency, the number of people claiming benefits rose [...]
Sterling loses early gains as new mutations dent vaccine optimism March 1, 2021 Sterling failed to hold onto early gains on Monday, as concerns over cases of a new Brazil coronavirus variant dented hopes that the UK’s swift vaccine rollout will usher a speedy economic recovery. The pound soared as high as $1.3999 in Asian trading, after retreating from a three-year high on Friday amid inflation concerns. In [...]
Labour’s Anneliese Dodds hints at support for online sales tax on tech giants March 1, 2021 Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called for the government to level the taxation playing field between digital and bricks and mortar retail in a potential call for new online taxes. Dodds said at a pre-Budget address on Bloomberg that there was a “big gulf on how businesses based in bricks and businesses based on clicks [...]
UK PMIs: Manufacturing activity creeps higher amid Covid restrictions March 1, 2021 UK manufacturing activity climbed back to its highest levels since the latest lockdown began in February, new figures have shown. The IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 55.1 last month, up from 54.1 in January. Any reading above 50 designates growth. However, a combination of supply chain disruption as a result of the Uk’s [...]
The Week Ahead: March kicks off with the Budget, Aviva, Zoom and Vroom March 1, 2021 March has arrived and City A.M. looks at what the first week of this month has in store. First of all, of course, there is the Budget this Wednesday. It’s the most important week of the year for Chancellor Rishi Sunak as he outlines the outlook for the UK economy over the next few months. He [...]
Pound off to a good start ahead of this week’s Budget March 1, 2021 The pound has got off to a positive start ahead of this week’s budget as optimism over the vaccine rollout, which passed the 20m at the weekend, fostered hopes for an economic rebound that is likely to be much faster than its peers in Europe. Moreover, with the UK budget only two days away, mortgage [...]
FinTech revolution was borne out of 2008 crash, Rishi Sunak must nurture a post-crisis environment for innovation March 1, 2021 It was from the devastation of the global financial crisis the FinTech revolution emerged. The pandemic will spur a new era of innovation too, and it has the potential to be bigger and even more explosive than the past decade – if we get it right. Who knew that while we all watched on as [...]
20 taxes to scrap: Britain’s growth needs a simpler tax system March 1, 2021 This week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will present possibly the most consequential Budget in half a century. UK PLC is simultaneously struggling to cope with both the ongoing catastrophic impact of the Covid pandemic and the unanswered questions of what post-Brexit Britain will look like. According to the OBR, this year’s expected budget deficit will likely [...]
Rishi Sunak should axe 20 UK taxes in Budget, says think tank March 1, 2021 The UK should axe inheritance tax, stamp duty, the TV licence fee and 18 other taxes to simplify the UK’s taxation regime post-Covid, according to a free market think tank. The Institute for Economic Affairs’ (IEA) pre-Budget release has called for Rishi Sunak to “simplify the tax system, reduce the overall burden of taxation, and [...]
Budget 2021: UK to spend extra £1.65bn on Covid vaccine rollout February 28, 2021 Rishi Sunak will boost the UK’s Covid vaccine rollout in Wednesday’s Budget by pledging to spend a further £1.65bn on the distribution of the two available jabs. The chancellor said last night that the programme had been “a great success” and that it was “essential we maintain this momentum” by providing more funding for the [...]