McDonald’s UK arm is maintaining its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, despite its Chicago-based parent company scaling back such initiatives since Donald Trump returned to the White House. While the fast-food giant’s US division scrapped targets for minority representation in senior roles, rebranded its diversity department, and abandoned DEI requirements for suppliers, the British […]
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has reiterated the Government’s stance on levying VAT on private school fees, insisting that closures in the sector are not a new development. Appearing on Camilla Tominey Today on GB News, Ms Phillipson acknowledged that parents now face a choice in terms of fee-paying education, but stated she has no […]
In a move that has sent ripples through Hollywood, Amazon MGM, in partnership with long-time James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, has formed a joint venture to oversee the rights to the iconic 007 franchise. Although all three parties will remain co-owners of Bond’s intellectual property, Amazon MGM will now lead on […]
British businesses cut jobs last month at a rate not seen outside the pandemic since 2009, as many companies looked to head off the impact of higher employment taxes and the rise in the National Living Wage due in April. New flash data from S&P Global’s UK purchasing managers’ index (PMI) revealed that private sector […]
The global employment market is mired in its longest downturn in more than 20 years, according to Dirk Hahn, chief executive of Hays, Britain’s largest listed recruitment group. “I’ve been in this business for 27 years and have never seen a global downturn like it,” he said, citing “ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty” as the primary factor […]
The government posted a smaller-than-expected surplus of £15.4 billion in January, short of economists’ forecasts of £21 billion and the £19 billion projected by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). January’s data is traditionally buoyed by self-assessment tax payments; however, the shortfall means total borrowing so far this financial year has climbed to £118.2 billion […]
Unions are calling on the UK government to inject £200 million into British Steel, in a last-ditch attempt to keep its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe running until electric arc replacements can be brought online. The trade union Community warns that without additional support, the rapid shutdown of Scunthorpe’s coal-fuelled blast furnaces could spark nearly […]
Lloyds Banking Group has posted a 20 per cent drop in annual pre-tax profits for 2024, missing City forecasts amid rising costs and one-off charges linked to the ongoing motor finance commission scandal. The FTSE 100 lender recorded profits of £5.97 billion last year, down from £7.5 billion in 2023 and below analyst expectations of […]
Small businesses across the UK are urging the government to scale back its proposed Employment Rights Bill, warning that sweeping changes could hamper hiring and trigger widespread job losses. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which represents thousands of employers nationwide, claims the plans — including expanded grounds for unfair dismissal and automatic sick pay […]
Senior City of London bankers have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to soften plans for abolishing non-domiciled tax status, claiming the policy is prompting high-earning foreign workers to relocate. At a breakfast meeting in No 11, representatives from major financial services firms, including BlackRock, Schroders, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, raised concerns over […]