‘Cost of Living Crisis’ The rising cost of living has forced Britons to cut back on spending in some areas of the economy and has introduced new unusual cost-saving measures into public debate. Over the weekend, a member of the House of Lords suggested that Britain should move clocks forward by an extra hour to Central European time to maximise daylight in the evening- as energy bills continue to rise. Polling ...

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PM Johnson in Ukraine Over the weekend, PM Johnson has been in Kyiv whilst pledging fresh rounds of aid to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. The PM’s office, Number 10, described the visit as ‘showing solidarity’ with the Ukrainian people and comes as the UK has committed to send 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missile systems to support Ukraine. Additionally, PM Johnson paid tribute to President Zelensky, commending his “resolute leadership and ...

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UK House Prices UK house prices continue their upward spiral as price growth is now at a 17-year high (according to Nationwide) in the month of March- despite the rising cost of living. Annual growth hit 14.3% in February for an average of £265,312 and represents a £33,000 increase compared to the same time last year. This means that the average house price increased by a level that is £1,500 below ...

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Penser The Penser Sustainable Impact Fund is recognised as one of the most sustainable funds worldwide. The fund has now received an AAA rating and a maximum rating of 10, based on how, environmental, social and ownership aspects of sustainability are handled in fund management. The top rating, recently made by the American finance rating and index company MSCI, places Penser Sustainable Impact within the top percentage of the world's most ...

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The Spring Budget On Wednesday (23rd March 2022), the Chancellor of the Exchequer outlined the UK’s full Spring Statement in parliament. Traditionally, the Spring Budget is considered the less influential of the two annual budgetary announcements (the other being in Autumn) but there were still substantial policy changes. Furthermore, ongoing inflation levels of 6.2% continue to add fears of ‘stagflation’ in the economy which the Chancellor is looking to alleviate. A ...

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We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from TMF Group, Skanska and Linklaters.  TMF group TMF Group has announced their expansion into Southeast Europe through the acquisition of the Bulgarian accounting consultancy, NOVACON Bulgaria OOD. This is an important step for the company’s growing presence in Bulgarian markets, as well as the broader ...

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Last week we had the great pleasure of having lunch with Sofie Zetterlund, Nordic Head of Marketing at Schroders. We took the opportunity to ask Sofie three questions to learn a little bit more about Schroders and to find out what Sofie thinks about the Chamber. How long have Schroders been members of the Chamber?  We have been members for a bit more than a year. As a global leader in asset ...

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PM Johnson and PM Andersson Meeting On Tuesday (15th March 2022), PM Johnson and PM Andersson met following a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in London. The British prime minister told the Swedish leader that the UK continues to stand in solidarity with the their Nordic partners in the face of Russian aggression. Additionally, the leaders discussed how Putin’s attack on Ukraine had led to a shift in European thinking. The two ...

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We are very pleased to welcome Gowling WLG as a new member company. Gowling WLG is one of the largest law firms in the world, with over 1,500 lawyers based in nine countries. Its roots were established in the UK in 1730 and in Canada in 1887. As well as its own offices, it had a large number of travelling country desk teams, which act as the travelling ambassadors for ...

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Businesses operating in Russia Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, the expansion of Western companies into Russia has been considered a great business success with queues ‘around the block’ for the opening of some chains- such as the first ever McDonalds. However, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine there has been a widespread corporate retreat from Russia for a mix of moral and economic reasons. Many ...

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