Government

Of Budgets, billions and bull

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At Budget-time, it’s the accepted job of any chancellor to present as rosy a picture of the government’s spending plans as possible. It’s the job of everyone else – outside of the presiding party – to become the butcher intent on trimming it: working out what’s true, what’s feasible and…

As it happened: Budget 2020

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Live updates and all the industry reaction as the chancellor delivers the 2020 Budget

This Budget must add incentives for infrastructure investment

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The government has indicated that it will commit £100bn in infrastructure over a five-year period; it has pledged to ‘level up’ economic performance in struggling towns through a national infrastructure strategy; and it has also committed to a legally-binding net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. If confirmed in the Budget…

Why a Brazilian builder wants UK firms for work in Africa

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UK financing of foreign projects designed to boost British supply chain involvement is booming. Miles Rowland explores how a Darlington-based firm ended up building bridges in Sri Lanka

Full-fibre rollout is a gauntlet thrown down to UK contractors

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The government’s pledge to “accelerate the delivery of gigabit-capable broadband”, as set out in December’s Queen’s Speech, will have been warmly welcomed by many – despite the lack of commitment in terms of timescales. The news promises relief for the countless UK communities that have struggled to leave the digital…

Puppetry and politics: who’s pulling the Budget strings?

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As an impressionable teenager, I confess that Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast album cover got me thinking about manipulation and where influence really lies in power structures. Those musings came back to me with today’s announcement that freshly installed chancellor Rishi Sunak will keep to the originally intended Budget…

New building regs and combustible materials: a year of change

Sue Ryan partner Gowling WYG

Changes made to building regulations following the publication of the Hackitt final report in May 2018 have now been in force for more than a year. It seems a good time to review progress. The changes were followed by, and should now be read alongside, further guidance published in July…

The end of uncertainty or simply the end?

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Looking back, 2019 racked up a grim tally of business failures, with roughly one contractor going bust every fortnight. Sadly, there is not much reason to suppose that 2020 will prove any kinder to overstretched firms struggling with sticky cashflow. The economic backdrop certainly seems unlikely to help. While December’s…

Change is coming to government projects and procurement

Retentions: PM to receive petition calling for reform

Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s senior adviser, amplified his reputation for beyond-the-box thinking last week with a rambling blog post that doubled as a recruitment advertisement. According to his article, Cummings aims to make himself “largely redundant” within a year by bringing in various strains of fresh blood to No…