How decadent elites lost control of politics the world over October 10, 2016 To outsiders, Colombia’s recent referendum on ending its 53-year war with the Stalinist revolutionaries of the Farc seemed the ultimate no-brainer. Putting a merciful halt to a conflict that has killed a horrendous 220,000 souls would seem to require little thought. Yet when earnest President Juan Manuel Santos put his peace deal to a nationwide [...]
MPs gear up for fight with Theresa May over Single Market access October 10, 2016 MPs are gearing up for a fight with Theresa May over access to the EU’s Single Market, as the government prepares for a series of legal battles over its right to take Brexit decisions alone. May has come under fire from senior backbenchers and business groups after a Conservative Party conference that saw the Prime Minister suggest [...]
Just 14 per cent of firms have a formal mental health policy, according to the IoD October 10, 2016 Just over one in ten businesses have implemented a formal mental health policy, despite a huge majority recognising the importance wellbeing, new figures show. A survey of more than 800 business leaders by the IoD found that only 13 per cent of businesses had created plans to support good mental health, similar to health and [...]
BBC’s £60m hotel bill: 2016 on track to be highest on record for money spent on accommodation for guests and staff October 10, 2016 The BBC has spent nearly £60m on hotels for guests and staff in less than seven years, Morning Wire can reveal. New figures for the corporation’s annual hotel bill show that over £5.8m was spent in the first half of 2016. If this level of spending continues for the rest of the year, the BBC [...]
Two government ministers have now suggested the government is in retreat over Amber Rudd’s foreign workers plan October 9, 2016 Two government ministers have confirmed a dramatic retreat on forcing firms to publish proportions of non-UK staff in their workforce. Home secretary Amber Rudd revealed the plans at the Conservative party conference last week, additionally suggesting the government could “name and shame” companies with a predominantly migrant staff. Rudd had hoped the plan could "flush out" [...]
The Treasury is to host challenger bank bosses for a post-Brexit summit October 9, 2016 Challenger bank bosses will head to Whitehall tomorrow to lobby the Treasury for better treatment for small institutions. In their first talks since the UK's Brexit vote, lenders will meet City minister Simon Kirby today. According to Sky News, bosses from banks including Aldermore, OneSavings Bank, Secure Trust Bank and Shawbrook will all attend. The banks [...]
Goldman Sachs to shift 2,000 jobs out of London if goverment pursues “hard Brexit” October 9, 2016 A so-called "hard" separation of the UK from the European Union would prompt Goldman Sachs to shift 2,000 highly paid staff out of London. The loss of Britain's prized preferential access to the single market would lead the Wall Street stalwart to move one in three of its employees to rival financial hubs across Europe, The [...]
Two Labour whips have resigned in the aftermath of the first appointments to Jeremy Corbyn’s new shadow cabinet October 9, 2016 Two Labour party whips have resigned in the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn's first appointments as the re-selected party leader. Corbyn began rebuilding his team last month with the recruitment of Jonathan Reynolds as the new shadow city minister, and has since made a raft of new appointments. However, this included a new chief whip in the [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond has raided HSBC for a new special adviser October 9, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond has recruited HSBC's chief European economist as a key adviser. Karen Ward will join the Treasury to serve as Hammond's special economic adviser. Prior to joining the government, Ward had been at HSBC for more than a decade, and her appointment comes as Hammond prepares for his first fiscal event as chancellor [...]
Those foreign worker lists everyone’s against won’t be made public October 9, 2016 Controversial plans to force businesses to list the number of foreign workers they employ would not be made publicly available, it's been revealed. The proposal by home secretary Amber Rudd to track the number of non-British workers within companies caused outrage across business and beyond. Read more: UK tech is outraged about Rudd's immigration crackdown Now, education secretary [...]