Legislation/Regulation

Resilient SThree hands back £600k from furlough scheme

Global STEM recruiter SThree has given back the £600k furlough payment it received from the UK government, the company’s 2020 full-year results have shown.

Life sciences, Engineering 28 January 2021

Victory for those refused business interruption insurance claims

Small businesses across the UK have received a boost this morning with a ruling from the Supreme Court that will see them covered by their business interruption insurance for losses caused by coronavirus lockdowns.

Accounting/Finance 15 January 2021

House of Lords UK-EU committee seeks views on services sector post-Brexit

An inquiry has been launched into the future of UK-EU relations on trade in services by the House of Lords EU Services Sub-Committee, chaired by Baroness Donaghy.

15 January 2021

Contractors cite IR35 lack of clarity

A new survey of more than 3,300 contractors has flagged continuing confusion, frustration and lack of preparation for the impending introduction of Off-Payroll legislation to the private sector this April.

12 January 2021

End-clients fail to update contractors over IR35 reforms

A specialist tax, IR35 and insurance adviser is warning that businesses affected by IR35 reforms could face contractor walkouts if they fail to inform contractors of their strategy to deal with the changes.

7 January 2021

Two arrested over modern slavery offences in Nottinghamshire

Two people have been arrested in North Nottinghamshire on suspicion of committing modern slavery offences, following a joint operation by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and Nottinghamshire Police.

18 December 2020

EU nationals make whistle-stop visits to UK for pre-settled status

EU nationals are making whistle-stop visits to the UK to smooth their path to pre-settled status, says City law firm Bates Wells.

18 December 2020

SME firms shouldn’t be shamed into not claiming furlough

Finance experts are warning troubled businesses may be discouraged from claiming the money they need to survive.

18 December 2020

GLAA gives poultry workers 10-point checklist

A new 10-point checklist for workers in the UK poultry industry has been developed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to help them understand their rights in the workplace and spot the signs of labour exploitation.

Agriculture 18 December 2020

Government must do more to create jobs says new report

The government must shift spending away from wage subsidies and towards creating new jobs, if it is to prevent a spike in unemployment in 2021.

14 December 2020

Lords committee slams Norman and government over IR35 legislation

A House of Lords Select Committee was critical of the government when one of its ministers gave evidence on the Off-Payroll reforms.

8 December 2020

Low-paid boost as government cracks down on ‘exclusivity contracts’

Business secretary Alok Sharma (pictured) has today announced consultations on new proposed measures to allow workers’ greater freedom to find new or additional work.

4 December 2020

HMRC joins with ASA to protect people from tax avoidance schemes

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have launched new action to cut out “misleading marketing” by promoters of tax avoidance schemes.

2 December 2020

Treasury to clear up confusion with IR35 changes

Recent confusion around the status of umbrella companies in relation to the role of intermediaries in upcoming changes in IR35 should soon be cleared up, according to a written tax policy update issued last week.

17 November 2020

Recruiters felt ready for original IR35 roll-out in April

Nearly three-quarters of recruiters were ready for the new IR35 rules in April.

28 October 2020

Recruiter couple banned from running a business after exploiting workers

A team of husband and wife recruiters have been banned for a total of 21 years after exploiting agricultural workers, the Insolvency Service has revealed.

Agriculture 22 October 2020

‘Constructive’ FCSA meeting with HMRC over ‘errant clause’

The Freelance & Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has described a meeting on Wednesday [14 October] with HM Revenue & Customs officials about an “errant clause” that recently surfaced in IR35 legislation as “positive and constructive”.

15 October 2020

HMRC calls meeting with FCSA to clear up IR35 ‘errant clause’

The revelation last week that wording in current IR35 reform legislation may threaten the involvement of umbrella companies will be discussed on Wednesday at a meeting called by HM Revenue & Customs with the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA).

12 October 2020

Clause in IR35 makes umbrellas redundant and makes agencies the ‘fee-payer’

An “errant clause” in the controversial off-payroll legislation that is due to be implemented next April has redefined ‘intermediaries’ and now appears to make the use of payment intermediaries redundant, according to IR35 expert Dave Chaplin.

8 October 2020

GLAA prevents woman illegally supplying workers to agencies

Investigators from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) have used legal powers to prevent a Romanian woman from supplying workers without a licence.

21 August 2020

Be flexible with employee quarantines says employment specialists

What should you do if your employees are planning a holiday trip to France to brush off months of lockdown in the UK?

13 August 2020

GLAA order prevents Romanian couple from trafficking workers to UK

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has had its first Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders (STROs) granted at court to prevent a Romanian couple from trafficking workers to the UK, the GLAA announced today.

13 August 2020

REC submits FoI request about spiralling NHS staffing bank rates

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to NHS Improvement this week.

5 August 2020

Recruiter Reveals...IR35: Countdown to April 2021

Welcome to our first episode of Recruiter Reveals All!

The countdown to compliance has started, and there’s no turning back: the wildly unpopular Off-Payroll Rules for medium-and-large companies go into force in April 2021. In this half-hour podcast, Recruiter’s first, subject matter expert Dave Chaplin of IR35 Shield tells all to Recruiter magazine Editor DeeDee Doke about the ins and outs of what changes businesses need to make and the administrative potholes to watch out for before the deadline.

Legal 30 July 2020

Implications of HMRC’s IR35 win in Hawksbee case unclear

IR35 experts say it is too early to say what the implications are of a rare win for HMRC in a case involving radio and comedy writer Paul Hawksbee.

Creative/Digital/Media 29 July 2020