Corporate manslaughter bill finally published

A new law to ensure companies whose negligence leads to the death of employees or the public has today been published after nearly a decade of planning. The corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide bill intends to make it easier to bring to justice large firms whose management failure has resulted in death. It was first […]

Sunday trading laws remain unchanged

The government has today rejected calls from the major supermarket chains to allow them to stay open longer on Sunday. Trade and industry secretary Alistair Darling said a widespread review of the ten-year-old Sunday trading laws had revealed “no substantial demand for change”. As a result, major stores will continue to be restricted by the […]

Thames Water slammed over leaks

Industry regulator Ofwat has condemned as “unacceptable” Thames Water’s failure to meet its leakage targets for the second year running. It warned the firm’s “significant failure” to meet the goal of cutting leaks to 860 megalitres per day (ml/d) – the equivalent of 344 Olympic swimming pools – was “very serious”. This was particularly true […]

Brown: UK will be best for business

Gordon Brown today set the tone for Monday’s pre-Budget report by outlining a whole host of measures designed to “make globalisation work for Britain”. In a speech to the advancing enterprise conference in the London, the chancellor emphasised the importance of long-term economic stability but also providing the right regulatory framework and investment to make […]

Consumer watchdogs ‘feeble’

Watchdogs set up to strengthen the voice of consumers in the postal and energy markets are “performing feebly”, a committee of MPs says today. The public accounts committee finds that Energywatch and Postwatch, set up in 2000 to advise consumers and deal with complaints, are failing to perform their role effectively. However, both organisations said […]

Tory candidates bid for business support

The candidates for the Conservative leadership today attempted to woo business leaders at the CBI annual conference in London. Both David Davis and David Cameron attacked chancellor Gordon Brown’s economic record, warning that high-tax and high-spend policies were leading to a slowdown in growth and declining UK competitiveness. However, Mr Davis admitted that where the […]