Money Advice Service launches new £7m financial capability fund June 1, 2016 The Money Advice Service has launched a new £7m fund to support organisations trialling efforts to improve financial capability. The What Works Fund will support projects seeking to build quantifiable evidence on the type of interventions that can make a difference to individuals. It comes ahead of the close of a Treasury consultation next week [...]
EU referendum: Would a Brexit free the UK workplace from EU red tape? June 1, 2016 The Leave campaign has said that by 2020 it will impose visa requirements on all foreign workers seeking employment in the UK. The pre-24 June scenario of EU workers having “freedom of movement” (no visas, no additional costs of hiring) will no longer apply. An Australian-type points based system will be introduced. This means employers have to satisfy [...]
Tyrie writes to regulators over crowdfunding fears June 1, 2016 Treasury Committee chair Andrew Tyrie has raised fears of insufficient regulation around crowdfunding in letters to the chief executives of the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulatory. In letters dated 1 June, Tyrie has asked the regulators to question whether they are paying enough attention to the risks associated with the growth of peer-to-peer [...]
Donald Trump is coming to visit the UK later this month – and his timing couldn’t be more awkward June 1, 2016 Donald Trump is to visit the UK this month as part of a trip marking the opening of his Scottish golf resort – with pretty awkward timing. Now the presumptive Republican nominee for the US presidency, Trump will visit on June 24 – one day after the EU referendum. Morning Wire understands there no plans for [...]
MPs say government has more to do to prove case for £250m lorry park in Kent June 1, 2016 The government was right to seek a solution to the huge disruption caused by Operation Stack, but hasn't done enough to prove the viability of a £250m lorry park, a group of MPs has said. The Transport Select Committee said that the decision to set aside £250m to build a permanent lorry park near the [...]
Former SNP MP facing second police probe over claims of financial discrepancies June 1, 2016 Glasgow East MP Natalie McGarry is facing a second investigation into alleged financial discrepancies. McGarry withdrew from the SNP party whip after a police investigation was launched last November, linked to allegations for missing donations from Women for Independence, a campaign group she founded. And Police Scotland have today confirmed it had received a second [...]
John McDonnell attacks George Osborne’s economic policy as an “absolute failure” June 1, 2016 The shadow chancellor John McDonnell has launched a stinging attack on George Osborne’s economic policy after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) slashed its growth forecasts for the UK economy. The OECD said it now expects the UK to grow by 1.7 per cent this year, down from a prediction of 2.1 per cent [...]
Five things we learned from Vice’s Jeremy Corbyn documentary June 1, 2016 Over eight weeks, Vice News profiled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – here are the big takeaways from the result. 1. The scale of Corbyn's ambition remains unclear The Labour leader is modest when it comes to his own fame, denying that he is “famous”, but it's not clear whether Corbyn sees himself as a future [...]
What’s the answer to dealing with difficult questions? June 1, 2016 As the debate over whether Britain should leave the EU intensifies we are once again exposed to the interminable dance of politicians being asked questions and subsequently not answering them. Nobody seems to have any idea what will happen. It appears that the Leave Campaign can only repeat horror stories about immigration if we stay, and [...]
Northern Powerhouse is dependent on productivity, not links to other cities, says Centre for Cities report June 1, 2016 Northern cities must become more productive if the government's plan for a Northern Powerhouse is to become a reality, a think tank has warned. A new Centre for Cities report today said that chancellor George Osborne's ambition will only come to fruition if the focus is on boosting productivity in underperforming cities in the north. [...]