Podcasts about exchequer rishi sunak

If they don't already have one, developing a net zero plan is high on the priority list for all Australian businesses. But as most now know, the real job isn't developing a plan, but putting that plan to work. In Episode 84 of First Fuel, EEC CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Kate Levick, co-head of the UK Transition Planning Taskforce Secretariat. The Transition Plan Taskforce was formed when, in a speech at Glasgow's COP26, Britain's then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced that listed companies in the UK would be asked to disclose their transition plans by 2023. Speaking one year on at COP27 in Egypt, Luke and Kate discuss the Taskforce's role in defining what best practice business transitions look like; how companies across sectors can ensure the best chance of a successful transition; and what Australian government and businesses can learn from the UK experience so far. Mentioned in this episode: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures The Transition Plan Taskforce Disclosure Framework The Transition Plan Taskforce Implementation Guidance TPT Online Sandbox Key topics: What is the UK's Transition Plan Task Force? What do we mean when we say a transition plan? The link between financial disclosure and transition plans Lessons for Australia and the rest of the world Connect with our guests: Find Kate at https://twitter.com/katellevick Find the TPT at https://transitiontaskforce.net/ Connect with us: Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil Email us at firstfuel@eec.org.au To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

Last week ended on a strong positive footage, on hints that some Federal Reserve (Fed) officials have started talking about pausing the interest rate rises to avoid going too far. Softer Fed expectations pulled US yields lower and sent equities higher. On the earnings front, 70% of the S&P500 companies that reported earnings so far did better than earnings expectations, and big US tech companies and oil giants will be reporting earnings this week. In politics, Boris Johnson announced yesterday evening that he will not be running for the PM role this week. That makes the British ex-Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak the front runner in the contest. Sterling kicked off the week on a positive note, but bumped into 50-DMA resistance. In central banks, the Bank of Canada (BoC) is expected to raise interest rates by another 50bp when it meets this week, the European Central Bank (ECB) will certainly raise its rates by 75bp, while the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is expected to stay pat. The BoJ intervened again in the currency markets on Friday to pull the USDJPY lower, after the pair flirted with the 152 level last week. The pair eased to 145.50 following the intervention and is back to almost 149 at the time of video. In commodities, US crude trades around $85per barrel level, and gold is better bid. Softer US yields could play in favour of gold if we really start seeing material easing in Fed expectations. But the latter is data dependent. Due this week, investors will closely watch the US latest GDP update, and the PCE index. Listen to find out more!

The battle to become leader of the Conservative Party should become clearer this week. Although, even if a leader is elected, there is no guarantee that they will command the full support of the parliamentary party. Anyone considered for election must have the support of at least 100 MPs by 14:00 today. Only former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has reached that level. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided not to run, saying that he had the numbers, but it's not the time to split the party. While the country is gripped by political confusion, the Bank of England is preparing to decide whether to hike interest rates and by how much. The extended period of tightening is expected to continue. However, the Monetary Policy Committee still needs to decide whether the hike will be fifty or seventy-five basis points, given that headline inflation is now above 10%.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is expected to take office as British Prime Minister later on Tuesday.

In the one hundred and sixth episode we explore the Appeal to Stupidity, starting with Trump claiming he is better at foreign policy that the experts, and mocking Biden for listening to scientists.In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Michael Gove having enough of experts, and Liz Truss going toe to toe with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on taxes.In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from 12 Angry Men, Miami Vice, and Superman IV: Quest for Peace.Jim and Mark go head to head in Fake News, the game in which Mark has to guess which one of three Trump quotes Jim made upThen we talk about the Jan 6 Committee public hearings season finale.And finally, we round up some of the other crazy Trump stories from the past week.The full show notes for this episode can be found at https://fallacioustrump.com/ft106You can contact the guys at pod@fallacioustrump.com, on Twitter @FallaciousTrump, or facebook at facebook.com/groups/fallacioustrumpSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/fallacious-trump/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The next British Prime Minister is now down to the Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. They have until September 5th to woo 180,000 Conservative party members. So far, the race to succeed Boris Johnson and to take over the legacy he leaves behind is neck and neck. Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London, analyses what each candidate has to offer.

①Nord Stream 1 resumes gas supply from Russia to Europe. How have European nations been coping with energy shortages? (00:43) ②Race for British Prime Minister comes down to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. (12:40) ③And the race comes as U.K. inflation hits a fresh 40-year high in June. (25:27) ④U.S. and Canada demand trade dispute talks with Mexico over energy policies. Are the complaints from U.S. and Canada fair? (35:50) ⑤Report calls for global action to block AUKUS deal of transfers of weapons-grade nuclear materials. What are the details? (45:00)

Economist and commentator Chris Johns talks to Eamon about the policies, and their potential impact, of the two contenders for the Tory leadership, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. Chris Johns hosts his own podcast, The Other Hand, with Jim Power.Recorded on 21st July 2022. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/the-stand-with-eamon-dunphy.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will battle it out to become the next prime minister after surviving the fifth round of voting. Sunak is seen as the favourite after he led in all five rounds of voting among Conservative Party parliamentarians.

The race to succeed Boris Johnson as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister will begin in earnest this week as the rules of the contest are set out by the backbench 1922 committee. At the last count, eleven MPs had thrown their hats in the ring. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is the clear favourite to win the race, with today's newspapers proclaiming that the poll of the last two standing will consist of Sunak and one of the other ten. One of the most significant debates is over taxation, with Sunak implying that those candidates promising tax are simply playing to the crowd, since the funding for such a policy will need to be found from somewhere. The opposition parties continue to criticize Boris Johnson for clinging to power by insisting that he remain in office until his replacement is elected. There have even been suggestions that a number of the replacements announced by Johnson, in the wake of last week's mutiny, have been selected to make the new leader's job more difficult. The economy continues to falter as inflation shows little sign of abating. Price rises, particularly in foodstuffs, have become so stark that shoppers notice many items increasing in price week by week. Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

On this episode of Understanding Crypto, James Burtt and Paul Abercrombie explore how the crypto space is currently impacted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation. Paul expresses the market's concerns following the resignation of one of cryptocurrency's fiercest advocates, Rishi Sunak. Despite this uncertainty Paul is still hopeful that the newly elected leader of the Conservative party will be pro-crypto and spearhead the campaign for crypto-inclusive policies.   Crypto in Limbo  Crypto enthusiasts are uncertain about the future of the market after a series of high-profile resignations including that of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.The UK government has appointed a replacement for one of the first resignations, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, a champion for the UK crypto industry. Through a series of workshops, Sunak's FCA-led effort, Crypto Sprint, aimed to expedite drafting regulations geared at fostering innovation in the crypto industry. [Listen from 1:29]   Presently, the UK crypto industry is at a standstill until a new leader and cabinet of the Conservative Party are chosen. "That's worrying in this crypto space because there were so many initiatives that were getting traction," says Paul. The next leader may elect a chancellor not supportive of cryptocurrencies, as was the case with earlier cabinets formed under the same party. “So in the short term it is a worry and a concern for the UK crypto industry because now we're left in limbo as to what's going on in the long term” laments Paul. Yet there still remains the possibility that Rishi Sunak can be chosen as the future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. If this occurs all cryptocurrency-related initiatives would be continued and accelerated, solidifying crypto as a mainstream currency. [Listen from: 5:22]   Crypto supporters are cautious and fearful that Rishi Sunak's pledge to turn the UK into a hub of cryptocurrency would not be realized. These supporters include many owners of crypto-related businesses who were depending on the FCA to push regulations. Notably, since the Prime Minister's resignation, this issue has not only affected cryptocurrencies but has also caused fiat market fluctuations. Paul hopes that the new cabinet would mirror the efforts of  some countries where politicians have continued to use their power to normalize cryptocurrencies within the mainstream market. “So you're seeing countries around the world making big steps and shifts in the political landscape to accommodate crypto and blockchain technology,” he remarks. Paul concludes that the true effects of the Prime minister's resignation would be revealed in time. [Listen from:8:55 ]   Key Takeaway Cryptocurrency policy remains in limbo until a new leader of the Conservative Party is elected.   Resources James Burtt on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Clubhouse Paul Abercrombie on Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Chainalysis and FTX US.    After years of what many would consider hostility to the industry, the British government did a major about-face in April when Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the country's intention to make the U.K. a global crypto hub. But as Sunak resigned as part of a mass exit leading to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation this week, that ideal seems unlikely.  - Nexo is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against your crypto. The company safeguards your crypto by relying on five key fundamentals including real-time auditing and insurance on custodial assets. Learn more at nexo.io. - Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, exchanges, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and market intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world's most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com. - FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today. - “The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsors is “The Now” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

The government's big shift in tone on crypto might be to no avail.This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Chainalysis and FTX US. After years of what many would consider hostility to the industry, the British government did a major about-face in April when Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the country's intention to make the U.K. a global crypto hub. But as Sunak resigned as part of a mass exit leading to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation this week, that ideal seems unlikely. -Nexo is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against your crypto. The company safeguards your crypto by relying on five key fundamentals including real-time auditing and insurance on custodial assets. Learn more at nexo.io.-Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, exchanges, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and market intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world's most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.-FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.-“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsors is “The Now” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2- and 10-year Treasury yields briefly invert for the third time this year sparking fresh recession fears. Concerns of a global economic slowdown prompt crude prices to tumble 10 per cent before recovering. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is in turmoil following the resignations of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid over continued political scandals. The pound plunges to its lowest level since the start of the Covid pandemic as a result. We are live in Downing Street for the latest. And we are also live in Düsseldorf, Germany, where the government is reportedly set to take on a 25 per cent stake in Uniper – the country's largest importer of Russian gas – in order to keep the company alive following a sharp decline in supply from Moscow. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has quit, saying he can no longer serve Prime Minister Boris Johnson. His resignation followed that of Health Secretary Sajid Javid. Taking over from Sunak is the former Education Secretary Nadim Zahawi. We pick through the day's events with Financial Times Whitehall Editor Sebastian Payne. With concerns over gas supply from Russia increasing in Germany, we get analysis from Dr Katja Yafimava from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Sam Fenwick is joined by Alison Van Diggelen, host of the Fresh Dialogues podcast in Silicon Valley in San Francisco, and Bloomberg reporter James Mayger in Beijing. (Image: Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak reacts as he leaves the 11 Downing Street, in London, on March 23, 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

Britain has announced a 25 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas producers' profits, alongside a 15-billion-pound package of support for households struggling to pay soaring energy bills. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak says energy firms were making extraordinary profits while Britons struggled. Sunak says they will introduce a temporary and targeted energy profits levy, but they have built into the new levy a new investment allowance that means companies will have a new and significant incentive to reinvest their profits. He says it would raise 5 billion pounds in the next 12 months and be phased out as oil and gas prices return to normal. He also said there would be a new Investment Allowance that would nearly double the tax relief available for firms on their investments.

Short-term pain relief for the British economy, which some fear will send us back to the 1970s, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a £400 discount on all energy bills as a temporary fix to help measure the cost of living, while also stating that we will get through it. Labour's shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has stated that second homeowners should not receive additional benefits from the energy bill discount, she suggested a longer-term plan was needed to keep household energy costs down. Today's Nick Robinson was joined in the Westminster studio by shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and he also spoke with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. (Image Credit: Daniel Leal/Pool via REUTERS)

Touted as a potential prime minister not long ago, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's star has been falling fast of late. Some of the blame can be placed on inflation hovering at a 40-year high and embarrassing headlines about his rich wife's taxes. To resurrect his political career, Sunak may want to help Britons out of their financial funk while persuading them he's not disastrously out of touch.  Sunak tells Stephanie how the UK government is trying to alleviate the pain inflicted by 9% inflation. It's providing about £350 ($431) in energy bill discounts to families while also providing families with about £100 in relief by cutting fuel duties. Still, the efforts may be too little too late, as the average family is seeing a £2,100 increase in its cost of living, according to Bloomberg estimates.  It didn't help matters that Sunak's wife, Akshata Murthy, daughter of an Indian billionaire, was forgoing paying UK taxes on her overseas earnings, which while technically legal is arguably terrible politics. "I do think part of being a good husband is not presuming to dictate to my wife what to do, because she's an independent person and I support her decisions,'' Sunak says.  Also, in a discussion from Bloomberg's New Economy Gateway Latin America forum in Panama City, Panama, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks about troubling abuses in Venezuela, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Haiti, as well as efforts to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for war crimes in Ukraine. Finally, she calls the potential end of federal abortion rights in the US a "massive setback for women's rights." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Guy Johnson and Alix Steel discuss stagflation in the UK and the possible impact of tearing up the Northern Ireland Protocol with Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders, and hear her conversation with UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. Plus, they talk the latest on Twitter with Bloomberg's Ed Ludlow, talk markets with Bloomberg's Cameron Crise, and hear from Boxed CEO Chieh Huang on commodities.

The UK economy shrank by 0.1% in March as consumers slashed their spending as the price of energy rose. Even though the price cap had not yet been raised. The data is seen as a prelude to a far bigger fall when data for April is released. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak confirmed that he has always said that he is ready to support households. While not strictly true, this comment will be welcomed in households across the country that are struggling to pay their bills as the level of disposable income continues to fall. Sunak went on to say that he is not attracted to the idea of windfall taxes on energy companies, since it is generally accepted that all taxes eventually find their way back to the individual. This was true of a similar tax on banking profits a few years ago which resulted in banks starting to charge fees on almost every service they provide, which reduced the net effectiveness of tax. MPC member and Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden confirmed yesterday that the Bank of England will be forced to continue to hike rates as CPI risk remains to the upside. Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

Can Rishi Make the UK Dishy on Crypto? A few weeks back, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak had set out it's plans to make the UK a global cryptoasset technology hub. But with the current economic climate the country is facing, and with Rishi being involved in financial scandal himself, what is the governments true intention for wanting to head crypto innovation?   UK Stablecoin Regulations On the 4th of April, the UK government announced plans to regulate stablecoins for use in the country as a recognised form of payment. The UK Treasury said “ The government intends to legislate to bring stablecoins – where used as a means of payment – within the payments regulatory perimeter, creating conditions for stablecoin issuers and service providers to operate and invest in the UK”.   London's Growing Job Market London has been confirmed as a world leader in cryptocurrency after a jobs platform revealed the number of global employers currently hunting for staff in the crypto sector. The US, as expected, takes top spot in the amount of crypto vacancies – currently standing at 3,893 – but the UK is catching up fast with the second-highest number of advertised roles.   Robinhoods purchase of Ziglu Robinhood said Tuesday it has agreed to buy Ziglu, a London-based fintech app that allows users to trade bitcoin and several other cryptocurrencies. The acquisition will help in its expansion plans in the U.K. and Europe, the company said. The announcement comes nearly two years after Robinhood halted plans to launch in the U.K. At the time, the company said it was prioritizing its business at home over international expansion.   What we cover in this episode: Netflix stocks drop UK Government plans for Crypto-asset regulation London fast becoming a hotspot for crypto jobs Robinhood revives plans to launch in the UK with deal to buy crypto app Ziglu Final Thoughts   TODAYS SPONSOR: YIELD APP Yield App is an innovative digital asset wealth platform that allows you to earn passive income on the world's leading digital assets. What we really like about Yield App is that it's a licensed fintech company built by a team with a strong background in traditional finance.   Yield App offers instant asset conversions, fiat on-ramp, auto compounding, and security features such as activity log, transaction history, and more. Simply deposit your digital assets and click earn to start receiving daily rewards! And if you're a corporate client Yield App offers a secure treasury for your digital assets. Its dedicated relationship management team is on hand 24/7 to facilitate a stress-free experience.   Ways to connect with Cryptopulse  Twitter: https://twitter.com/crypto_pulse    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crypto_pulse     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cryptopulse     Website: http://www.cryptopulse.co.uk     Ways to connect with Kevin and Ben Kevin Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinBasham    Ben Twitter: https://twitter.com/bdrsquared       Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe so you can be notified when we release a new episode.   About Cryptopulse Downloaded & listened to in over 100 countries. Cryptopulse is here to guide you through the crypto universe with thought-provoking topics, in-depth knowledge & information to help you make informed decisions.

British PM Boris Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have been told they will be fined over lockdown-breaking parties held on UK government premises. Listen for more details. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A big shift in tone, led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US. On today's episode, NLW explores the seeming about-face by the British government on crypto. He first explores the recent tension around a March 31 registration deadline imposed by the country's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that has left many British crypto companies looking abroad. Then, he looks at news yesterday of a major push by the British Treasury to make the country into an innovation hub around crypto and digital assets – going so far as to say that they will mint an official NFT. -From cash to crypto in no time with Nexo. Invest in hot coins and swap between exclusive pairs for cash back, earn up to 17% interest on your idle crypto assets and borrow against them for instant liquidity. Simple and secure. Head on to nexo.io and get started now.-Arculus™ is the next-gen cold storage wallet for your crypto. The sleek, metal Arculus Key™ Card authenticates with the Arculus Wallet™ App, providing a simpler, safer and more secure solution to store, send, receive, buy and swap your crypto. Buy now at amazon.com.-FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.-Consensus 2022, the industry's most influential event, is happening June 9–12 in Austin, TX. If you're looking to immerse yourself in the fast-moving world of crypto, Web 3 and NFTs, this is the festival experience for you. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass at www.coindesk.com/consensus2022.-“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with today's editing by Rob Mitchell and Eleanor Pahl, research by Scott Hill and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “I Don't Know How To Explain It” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Justin Tallis/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Four of the prime minister's close aides have resigned in one day. Adam, Laura and Chris chew over the implications of the latest departures for Boris Johnson. Energy prices are soaring – so, what's the government doing? Ofgem says millions of people will pay 54% more for their energy from April, or almost £700 on an average bill. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak explains what he's doing to lessen the shock for households. Northern Ireland's First Minister Paul Givan has announced his resignation, in protest against the Northern Ireland protocol... Chris is in Belfast. Today's Newscast was made by Alison Gee with Danny Wittenberg and John Murphy. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

"When inflation began to rise, the Bank of England, its Governor in particular, was fairly sanguine about the risk, calling it transitory. That may indeed be the case, and it became a convenient reason for a Bank that was unsure what it needed to do as the pandemic raged. Now, the recovery looks like it may be hitting the buffers, and officials, looking for a new excuse to cover the possibility that they may have got it wrong, see supply chain bottlenecks as a convenient scapegoat. Now, every issue that is becoming known is met with the supply chain excuse. It may indeed be the fact that demand is fast outstripping supply, but it is also true that anyone with an ounce of planning knowledge could have foreseen issues for the economy from the departure of thousands of EU citizens who left the country as Brexit became certain and freedom of movement to the UK was about to disappear. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak tried to put a brave face on the considerable slowdown in growth in the economy yesterday by commenting that the fact the economy is growing at all is a tribute to the fact that the country is moving in the right direction. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

On 27 October, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced his Autumn Budget and Spending Review. Our expert economics panel will be convened again to discuss the impacts of Brexit and Covid-19 on the announcements. Speakers: Ben Chu, Economics Editor, BBC Newsnight Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist, Institute for Government Professor Meredith Crowley, Senior Fellow, UK in a Changing Europe Professor Jonathan Portes, Senior Fellow, UK in a Changing Europe Chair: Professor Anand Menon, Director, UK in a Changing Europe

A 12 day conference with diplomatic negotiations, a blue zone (for ‘parties' and ‘party overflows') and a green zone (for the general public) and many side events all over the city; attended by around 30,000 people.  A lot of work goes into preparing for a COP – not just the physical structures but also ideas, conversations and agreements. And the work continues after.  It is important to establish “the mood music” as Jill puts it, so all the work before, during and after, delivers what we need.  Ece and Jill are up in Glasgow for COP26. They will do daily summaries – supported by Sabine, Neil and Anna back at the HQ. If they manage to find each other in the chaos they may even upload a chat. Listen out for their summaries in the evening. See below for follow up references and background information we mention in the updates.   Some of the Day 3 (Finance Day) announcements from Aldersgate Group‘s digest Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced that he was making net zero transition plans mandatory for financial institutions and listed companies The US re-joined the high ambition coalition Japan has pledged up to $10 billion in new climate finance The UK and India announced a plan to improve interconnections between the world's electricity power grids Mark Carney's Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero announced it can secure $130 trillion in climate finance commitments

This week chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak hailed his second Budget of 2021 as heralding a "new age of optimism" as the UK seeks to leave the Covid-19 pandemic behind it.Are things that simple? On its surface, the Budget focused on reforming alcohol duty and business rates, and tinkering with air passenger duty, leaving many areas financial advisers might worry about unaddressed.But with rising inflation, a hike in national insurance already in the pipeline and many allowances frozen in Sunak's previous Budget, for the panellists on this week's podcast the chancellor was carrying his own act of "tax avoidance".This week Damian Fantato, FTAdviser's digital editor, is joined by Claire Trott, divisional director for retirement and holistic planning at St James's Place, Chris Etherington, private client tax partner at RSM, and David Battersby, portfolio manager at Sanlam.They discuss why this Budget was more about the things left unsaid, why Sunak's optimism might not necessarily tally with some of the finer details in this week's fiscal statement and whether a solution has finally been found on the net-pay anomaly.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On Wednesday, October 27, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will deliver his next Budget and Spending Review to the House of Commons. In the latest episode of MetCast we hear from Christian Spence, Head of Future Economies Analytics in Manchester Metropolitan's Future Economies Research Centre, about what we can expect to hear from the Chancellor and where the Government's spending priorities may lie. Feedback is always welcome, as are reviews and ratings on iTunes, so please head there to let us know what you think. If you'd like to contact us – or feel you've got a story we should cover – please get in touch via content@mmu.ac.uk.

"There is little doubt that the UK economy has slowed considerably since its stellar recovery from recession. It will be difficult for Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to put in place plans to boost the recovery, since it is almost impossible to know exactly which of the problems are most pressing. Sunak is facing calls from industrial leaders' federations to leave taxation as it is, since with the current problems facing manufacturing and logistics, a rise in tax could easily blow them off course. Hauliers are facing the threat of having to pay significantly higher wages to drivers to be both able to employ them and keep them. That will certainly have a knock-on effect. Sunak clearly didn't reckon with the issues facing the economy like fuel prices, and high and rising inflation when he set out to plan for this Budget. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is preparing his Autumn budget that will be presented to Parliament next week. He is trying to begin balancing the books but is also facing calls to continue spending. He is receiving requests for funds almost daily from colleagues who believe that the urge to splurge should continue. When he was doling out support at the height of the pandemic, he was just six months into the job and was fast becoming the darling of his Party. Now, things have changed almost completely. Far from providing free handouts, he is trying to rein in profligate Ministers. Sunak sees his role as creating a sustainable path that allows the Government to continue Boris Johnson's levelling up agenda, while also looking for opportunities to save funds. Every Department is being tasked with contributing to the pot by making savings and efficiencies totalling 5% of their total budget. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is looking to hit around half of the working population with a 2% tax rise to fund the Prime Minister's social care plans. It is believed that around £10 billion of additional funding is needed to support the NHS as the country returns to normal, with waiting lists for routine procedures at an all-time high. The alternative to raising taxes is a reduction in services and a return to austerity, a choice the Government has promised not to make. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is looking to hit around half of the working population with a 2% tax rise to fund the Prime Minister's social care plans. Sunak continues to issue statements that he is committed to keeping public finances on a sustainable footing, with a policy promise that Government debt should return to pre-Pandemic levels by the 2022/23 financial year. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

"The end of the Government's furlough scheme at the end of this month is coming under question as the number of workers furloughed remains around 1.75 million. Most of those still furloughed are working some hours, but there is a growing feeling that the end of the scheme will mean many businesses in the SME sector will be unable to remain viable, since they are still not producing sufficient cash flow to enable them to continue to trade. The calls are for a more gradual window. There has already been a single cut from 80% of the worker's wages to 60% and Trades Union Representatives are calling for a further cut to allow businesses to catch up with themselves, before the scheme is removed completely. The end of the Government's furlough scheme at the end of this month is coming under question as the number of workers furloughed remains around 1.75 million. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will have done his sums based upon an end to the scheme on September 30th and an extension would mean the ONS having to recalculate the effect and Sunak's budget due for delivery in January would have to be completely recalculated. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has suddenly burst back into the political limelight after a few months trying to address the imbalance in the country's accounts. Fresh from having upset his boss by writing him a letter demanding a change in Government policy on travel restrictions, he has waded into the debate regarding working from home It is becoming more prevalent that civil servants are returning to their desks, a move supported by Sunak who believes that the contacts he made in his early years would have been impossible without face-to-face contact. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has suddenly burst back into the political limelight after a few months trying to address the imbalance in the country's accounts. There is of course an opposite view that a cult of personality is more difficult to build through Zoom or Teams. This is a debate that will run and run through the service sector as the pros and cons are weighed up from both sides. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak appears to have overstepped his authority, or at least misjudged the depth of his relationship with the Prime Minister. He seems to have written to Boris Johnson to call for a significant easing of travel restrictions in order to speed the recovery of the economy from Coronavirus. Johnson appears to have taken the letter as both a demand that he should act and a threat that he is undoing Sunak's work in saving the economy. According to several weekend newspapers, Johnson was apoplectic with rage even suggesting that it might be time for Sunak to be moved from the powerful Treasury to a lesser role in health, which after recent events has become something of a poison chalice. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak appears to have overstepped his authority, or at least misjudged the depth of his relationship with the Prime Minister. While this may be an insight into the personal relationships that exist (or possibly don't) between Cabinet Ministers, it is unlikely that it will mean anything in the long run and is synonymous with the summer silly season, when reporters have little else to do other than make mischief. " Beyond Currency Market Commentary: Aims to provide deep insights into the political and economic events worldwide that can cause currencies to change and how this can affect your FX Exposure.

In a special episode, Brian discusses the economy, jobs, furlough and independence with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak during his visit to Scotland. ________________________________________________Produced by Elle Duffy and Ema Sabljak for The Herald.Contact the producers on voiceslive@heraldscotland.co.ukMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: SFVY2IZ7ELOZLWMR See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

England is preparing to lift almost all legal coronavirus restrictions tomorrow. It will mark an end to limits on how many people can meet. Self-isolation rules will remain in place. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently in self-isolation after coming into contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive for Covid-19. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is also in self-isolation. Also in the programme: Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour De France; and the latest from the peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban militants in Doha. (Photo: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson. CREDIT: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo)

Finance ministers from the G7 are meeting on Friday and Saturday in the UK - a week ahead of the full G7 Summit. Top of the agenda is global corporation tax reform, as we hear from Richard Partington, the Guardian's economics correspondent. Thursday has been a day of prolonged argument over foreign travel in the UK. Portugal has been removed from the government's so called 'green list'. The Canary Islands, the Spanish territory off the coast of north-west Africa, was hoping to be added to the list, but missed out. We speak to their head of global tourism safety, Cristina del Rio Fresen. Also in the programme: Lebanon is no stranger to hardship; from the wreckage of its civil war to the world's largest ever non-nuclear explosion happening at its port, the country has not had an easy ride. Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis could rank as one of the three most severe the world has seen in the last century and a half. The BBC's Ed Butler has an extended report. All this and more discussed with our two guests throughout the show: Paddy Hirsch, contributing editor at National Public Radio, in Los Angeles and Rachel Pupazzoni, business reporter for the ABC, in Perth, Western Australia. (Picture: Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, on the eve of the G7 Finance Ministers meeting, on June 3, 2021 in London, England. Credit: Getty Images.)

Hello and welcome to the Alcohol Alert, brought to you by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. In this edition:Chancellor announces a blanket freeze on alcohol duties for a second consecutive year in the spring Budget 🎵 Podcast feature 🎵Irish data highlights ways in which the pandemic has slowed progress in tackling alcohol misuseResearch finds association between alcohol-related violence and deprivation, amplified by the availability of alcohol 🎵 Podcast feature 🎵Doctors in Scotland urge ministers to break sponsorship link between alcohol and sportWe hope you enjoy our roundup of stories below: please feel free to share. Thank you.Budget 2021: Duties for alcohol kept on ice🎵 Podcast feature 🎵All alcohol duties were frozen for the second year in a row in the 2021 Budget, marking the eighth year out of the last nine that alcohol duties have failed to keep up with inflation (03 Mar).According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s costings, the freeze in alcohol duties – a cut, in real terms – are estimated to cost roughly £1·7bn to the year 2025/26.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's statement came ahead of the government's much anticipated response to the alcohol duty review consultation held late last year.Responding to the announcement, IAS Chief Executive Katherine Severi said:It is disappointing that the Chancellor has chosen to freeze alcohol duty today, which represents a cut in real terms. This will do nothing to help the thousands of families across the country whose lives are blighted by alcohol, an issue which has become even more acute during the pandemic.We need to rethink how alcohol is taxed to ensure public health is always given priority over alcohol industry profits. Raising alcohol duty can generate vital public funds to support the NHS and social care services and the public are largely supportive of this policy.The ongoing alcohol duty review is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve a broken system which promotes cheap, strong alcohol that wrecks lives and burdens our NHS and public services. We will continue to work with government to propose a fairer system that produces net gains for society, not just supermarket profits.A good pandemic for HM Treasury?One reason for Rishi Sunak’s decision to freeze all alcohol duties for another year may lie in the increased revenue from heavier drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), HM Treasury stand to rake in £800 million more than predicted for the financial year 2020/21. This makes alcohol duties ‘one of the few tax streams that has outperformed our pre-virus forecast’, as ‘higher sales in supermarkets and other shops have more than offset the loss in receipts from the closures of pubs and restaurants for large parts of the year’.In an article for Alcohol Change UK, alcohol policy modeller Colin Angus suggested that ‘persistently freezing duties changes public perception, encouraging the idea that duty freezes for alcohol are the norm, making it politically more difficult for the Chancellor to increase duties in line with inflation in future years’. You can hear Colin Angus describe this issue in more detail on the podcast.Despite a real terms cut in alcohol duties, some sectors of the industry were left dissatisfied by the Budget, with Society of Independent Brewers chief executive James Calder claiming that it ‘does nothing for independent breweries’ and others believing that approach to beer duty ‘could have been bolder’ (Morning Advertiser, 05 Mar).Yet, this has still not stopped the ‘deluge’ of bookings made for when pubs reopen for outdoor service from 21 April (BBC News Business, 05 Mar), indicating that not only does a pent-up demand exist regardless of the Chancellor’s proclamations on duties, but also that businesses in the hospitality sector could have benefitted from fiscal measures more closely linked to their day-to-day costs, such as rents and business rates.The Budget also neglected to mention any policies to deal with the looming public health crisis in alcohol-related morbidity, as was warned about days before (British Medical Journal, 01 Mar):We are already at crisis point, with the most recent Global Drugs Survey revealing that the UK rate of hospital admissions because of alcohol was higher than among users of any other drug cited in the report apart from heroin and with more than 5% of people under 25 in the UK reporting having sought hospital treatment after getting drunk.Subsequently, a host of public health experts, led by the Alcohol Health Alliance, expressed their disappointment at the duty freeze in the Times (09 Mar). But they did reserve hope for the outcome of a government review to be conducted later this year:… providing an opportunity to overhaul an inconsistent system causing alcohol harm. As a result of the present system it is possible to drink the low-risk weekly guideline of 14 units for just £2·68 in England — about the price of a high-street cup of coffee. This is causing immeasurable damage.The government must create a scaled alcohol duty structure that ensures the strongest products are taxed the most to encourage drinkers to move away from purchasing the most dangerous drinks. With 80 people across the UK dying from an alcohol-related cause every day, we need urgent action to tackle this crisis.Ireland – pandemic slows progress on alcohol misuseNew research findings have shown that while there have been declines in some sections of society regarding Irish drinking habits, the onset of COVID-19 has threatened to reverse them in others.A report titled Health Behaviours, Health Outcomes and Contextual Factors between 1998-2018 found that rates of alcohol use among school-aged children ‘significantly decreased since 1998’ (Irish Times, 08 Mar).Led by senior researcher Aoife Gavin in collaboration with the HBSC research team at the Health Promotion Research Centre in NUI Galway, the study comprised of a sample of 15,557 pupils aged 10 to 17 years from 255 primary and post-primary schools across Ireland, and found a 14 percentage point drop in respondents reporting having ever been drunk over the 20-year period (33% in 1998 vs 19% in 2018).However, the pandemic has led to the dominance of home drinking, which has in turn exacerbated the problem of alcohol’s accessibility to underage drinkers. Reports that on-demand alcohol delivery ‘skyrocketed’ during lockdown ‘with no checks’ on serving children caused Teachtaí Dála (TDs) to call on Justice Minister Helen McEntee to introduce restrictions on delivery services (Irish Sun, 14 Mar).Overall alcohol tax receipts data in Ireland showed a 2·4% decline, suggesting a drop in annual consumption of 6% in 2020, meaning that the country’s public finances ‘experienced little impact’ of the pandemic (Irish Times, 11 Mar). And within the alcohol category, there were significant fluctuations among particular beverages: while excise receipts from beer sales fell 17%, and 11% for cider, wine consumption rose 12% in 2020 ‘even though many restaurants where it would frequently be consumed were closed for a considerable portion of the year’, indicating a sharp year-on-year increase in the number of people drinking wine at home. Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) expressed their disappointment with the figures, with head of communications and advocacy Eunan McKinney remarking that they highlight ‘the extraordinary shift that has taken place among Ireland’s drinking population and the ocean of alcohol that has poured into the nation’s homes.’Feighan: Ireland to implement MUP with or without the northGiven the urgency of the problem identified by AAI, the Irish government is considering implementing minimum unit pricing, under the 2018 Public Health (Alcohol) Act, asynchronously from its neighbour, Northern Ireland. Frank Feighan, the junior minister for public health, explained that the Oireachtas could ‘not wait any longer for Northern Ireland’ to protect problem drinkers, after their health minister, Robin Swann, elected to defer minimum unit pricing until after the next Stormont assembly elections in May 2022 (The Times (paywalled), 15 Mar).Swann told the assembly: ‘I do not think that we have the scope in [the current assembly term], by way of capacity in my department or the time that is necessary to bring it forward in a meaningful way, but I intend to put it to consultation so that the preparatory work is done for whomever comes into this role in the next mandate.’In response to this development, Feighan said: ‘I will be recommending to government that we have to move. I have talked to minister [for health] Donnelly and I understand he has spoken with the Taoiseach, and I have talked to the Tánaiste. I think it will be discussed in the coming weeks as to what the best way forward would be, and that will be a matter for cabinet. Unfortunately, there may be unintended consequences around excise duties… it would have been ideal to move with Northern Ireland but we cannot wait any longer. I would like to have a short consultation with stakeholders like publicans and off-licences, and then to move with the legislation we have.’AAI said it recognised some consultation may be required to refine the logistics and timing of the measures ‘but we trust that the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party will expedite matters over the coming weeks and that operation will commence in early autumn’.Alcohol-related violence and deprivation🎵 Podcast feature 🎵This week, Lucy Bryant and Dr Carly Lightowlers presented their research on alcohol-related violence and deprivation to an audience at the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN) Alcohol Occasionals sessions. Between them, the researchers shared findings suggesting that those in the lowest socioeconomic groups experience disproportionate rates of alcohol-related violence and that increases in alcohol availability and deprivation, when seen together, increase the rates of such violence to a greater degree than when either of these factors appears alone.You can listen to Dr Lightowlers explain the research in more detail in our podcast, and you can also watch the presentation in full on SHAAP’s website.In other researchAlcohol pricing policies such as duty increases and minimum unit pricing appear to target men’s drinking habits more effectively than women’s, according to a new study published in Addiction (02 Mar).Researchers found that each of the three policies modelled – a 10% duty increase, and minimum unit prices (MUP) of £0·50 and £0·70 per UK unit – would lead to larger estimated reductions in consumption and hospital admission rates among men than women. The authors also showed how this is driven by gender differences in alcohol consumption, purchasing patterns and harm among adult drinkers in England, leading women’s spending to increase more than men’s. At full effect – that is, once consumption changes have worked their way through to health outcomes - a £0·50 MUP is expected to lead to a sevenfold larger reduction in consumption and a three times larger reduction in hospital admissions for men compared to women.The level and frequency of alcohol consumption rose among drinkers in the UK during lockdown, according to University College London researchers published in the Drug and Alcohol Review journal (03 Mar). Surveying a self-selected sample of nearly 3,000 participants between 30 April and 14 June 2020, they found that 30% of participants reported drinking more frequently in lockdown, with 16% reporting drinking more units per drinking occasion and 14% reporting more frequent heavy episodic drinking. They also found that ‘deterioration in psychological wellbeing was consistently associated with increased frequency of drinking’.The first UK COVID-19 lockdown saw a “rapid and sustained” fall in violence outside the home in the Welsh capital city, a new study led by Cardiff University has shown (Journal of the American Medical Association, 05 Mar). A research team from Cardiff University’s Crime and Security Research Institute (CSRI) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied data from Cardiff’s sole emergency department (ED) from March to June 2020, comparing it to weekly data from January 2019 onwards, and found almost 60% fewer attendances per week for violent injury outside the home in the first lockdown. Lead author professor Jonathan Shepherd, from the CSRI, said: ‘This sudden fall in violent injury is the largest any of us has ever seen. It’s likely to reflect closure of city centre pubs and clubs in and around which most violence takes place, and widespread compliance with lockdown restrictions.’ Regarding violence in the home, no significant change was found in any category, which professor Shepherd said was ‘reassuring’. The amount of alcohol consumed during a given drinking occasion is strongly associated with the duration of the occasion combined with the beverage type and serving size, according to a study reported in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (05 Mar). Researchers from the University of Sheffield, UK, analysed data from over 18,000 adult drinkers in Great Britain who wrote a seven-day retrospective drinking diary and between them recorded the characteristics of over 46,000 drinking occasions, with the aim of identifying which features – and combinations of features – are most predictive of the units of alcohol consumed during drinking occasions in Great Britain.They found that longer occasion duration, drinking spirits as doubles, and drinking wine were the strongest predictors of heavy alcohol consumption, and that the strongest predictors of longer drinking occasions were drinking in both on-trade venues (eg pubs) and off-trade (eg at home), starting earlier in the day, and drinking with friends.A review of the latest evidence and research on liver disease, authored by over 30 leading hepatology consultants and senior figures from the Foundation for Liver Research, British Liver Trust and Public Health England, has found that almost a quarter of patients (24%) admitted to hospital with liver disease die within 60 days (The Lancet, 11 Mar). These patients have not been previously diagnosed and are admitted as an emergency. The report also observes that people with advanced liver disease admitted to hospital as an emergency, are seven to eight times more likely to die than those admitted with a stroke or heart attack.Updated estimates of population level alcohol consumption undertaken in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, have found an estimated net effect of minimum unit pricing (MUP) of -3·5% in off-trade alcohol sales per adult in the year following its implementation in Scotland in 2018 (Public Health Scotland, 16 Mar).Whilst slightly lower than previously reported, both the estimated net effect of MUP and the observed impact of MUP on different drink categories are comparable with the original findings, and the overall estimate for Scotland in 2019 remains at 9·9 litres of pure alcohol per adult, equivalent to 19·1 units of alcohol per adult per week and the lowest level of pure alcohol sold in Scotland since 1994.Sainsbury’s are the most likely of the major supermarkets to push online shoppers in Scotland towards alcohol, according to campaign group Obesity Action Scotland (17 Mar). Their report found that overall, customers are bombarded by around 500 promotions during the average online grocery shop, with around a tenth (11%) of all promotions for alcohol. Sainsbury’s was the worst offender, hosting the most alcohol promotions as a proportion of all food and drink promotions for both healthy (basket 1) and standard (basket 2) shopping trips.Doctors urge ministers to break sponsorship between alcohol and sport in ScotlandDoctors have renewed calls for Scottish ministers to break links between alcohol and sport with a clampdown on lucrative sponsorship deals, after an alcohol producer declared its support for Scotland’s national football team (The Times, paywalled, 28 Mar).Alcohol policy campaigners Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) said children were especially susceptible to advertising and called for robust restrictions to be considered by the next Scottish government after May’s Holyrood elections.Recent events have exposed a sharp divide between sporting associations that embrace the backing of alcohol producers and those who spurn it: earlier in the month (22 Mar) Tennent’s Lager tweeted its continuing support for Scotland’s national football teams. This stands in sharp contrast to Scottish Women’s Football, who struck up a sponsorship agreement with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) in March 2019.‘It’s time for others to follow their lead and protect their fans and players,’ said SHAAP interim director, Lindsay Paterson. ‘Alcohol companies have large sums available for sponsorship and it is understandable but disappointing that Scotland’s national teams have accepted this sponsorship.’In response, the Scottish FA said that Tennent’s was the ‘original supporter’ of Scottish football and had been an integral part of the game dating back to 1974. ‘Over the years they have made a positive impact at all levels of the sport, and we look forward to building on that together in the years to come,’ they said in a statement.The UK Alcohol Alert (incorporating Alliance News) is designed and produced by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. Please click the image below to visit our website and find out more about us and what we do, or the ‘Contact us’ button. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

This week, Business Without Bullsh-t sees an all-star line up joining Andy and Dominic for a UK Budget Special. Bossman Richard Oury alongside Simon Walsh, Ian Phipps and Jeremy Coker takes to the (virtual) round table to discuss what the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak described as “the most important budget for a generation”.The team discusses an array of topics including their overviews of what the budget looks like as a whole and its implications on businesses and future taxes, the dawn of new VAT rates post-Brexit, how the housing industry has been affected by the extended zero rates on Stamp Duty Land Tax, how the new Self Employment Income Support Scheme will make 600,000 more people eligible for grants and how all of this incredibly generous government spending will be paid back in the long run. Andy also tells us how he plans to do his bit to refuel the economy (involving lots of wine and lobster!)Whether you're a novice or a pro, this is a no bullsh-t breakdown of the UK budget given by experts, speaking as people.Pull up a chair and press play (with a notepad and pen handy).Business Without Bullsh-t is powered by Oury Clark

Hello and welcome to the Alcohol Alert, brought to you by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. In this edition:Pubs pray for Easter resurrection – government roadmap out of lockdown urges hospitality to wait a little longer for salvationSeveral studies uncover more evidence of the impact of home drinking during the COVID-19 pandemicThe European Union promises to beat cancer by tackling alcohol labellingDr Elena Dimova presents a review exploring men’s drinking habits in the context of becoming a father 🎵 Podcast feature 🎵Alcohol policy experts and public policy think tank urge the chancellor to raise duty for the good of the nation‘s health ahead of Budget 2021Child calls about parental alcohol misuse soar during pandemic, say NSPCCRoad safety group urge the government to follow other nations’ drink-driving policiesWe hope you enjoy our roundup of stories below: please feel free to share. Thank you.Lockdown: Easter resurrection for pubs?This month saw rumours about pubs reopening post-lockdown reach a crescendo among the British press. The Sun and The Telegraph reported that as part of ministers’ determination ‘to open properly this time’, they planned to phase in the sale of alcohol, first by ‘allowing pubs to serve takeaway alcohol in April’, before a full reopening in May (05 Feb).However, headlines such as ‘Pubs and restaurants could reopen in April – with no alcohol’ drew ire from several sources. According to The Mirror (06 Feb), ‘a senior Government source was dismissive about the idea, telling PA: “We are not going to open pubs that can't sell booze. What would be the point of that?”’Many industry figures echoed this sentiment, such as Emma Clarkin of the British Beer & Pub Association, who wrote: ‘Opening pubs without selling alcohol is not “reopening” pubs at all’ (Morning Advertiser, 08 Feb). The trade body also claimed that the proposal wouldn’t help almost 30,000 of the country’s pubs – 60% – which would remain shut ‘because their beer gardens are too small for social distancing‘ (Mail Online, 16 Feb).A study from Stirling University suggests that the government may have had good cause to treat the prospect of reopening pubs with caution (Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 16 Feb). Observing a varied range of venues operating under detailed guidance from government intended to reduce COVID-19 transmission risks over the summer of 2020, researchers found that practices were variable and a number of incidents of greater concern were observed, including close physical interaction between customers and with staff, which frequently involved alcohol intoxication and were rarely effectively stopped by staff.Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, Director of the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, who led the research, wrote that ‘despite the efforts of bar operators and guidance from government, potentially significant risks of COVID-19 transmission persisted in at least a substantial minority of observed bars, especially when customers were intoxicated.’This didn’t stop UKHospitality promising to ‘swiftly, safely and sustainably reopen pubs in April’, issuing their own roadmap to recovery ahead of the prime minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on 22 February (Morning Advertiser, 18 Feb).In the end, Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown opted for a four-step approach, in which hospitality venues would open for outdoor service only from no earlier than 12 April (Step 2: including an end to both curfews and serving ‘substantial meal’ requirements), and indoor service would resume alongside it from no earlier than 17 May (Step 3). The prime minister’s plans mean pubs and other licensed venues will have to wait a little longer for salvation.Research shows impact of pandemic home drinkingSeveral studies published this month show how the COVID-19 pandemic has both led to soaring levels of home drinking and increases in deaths from alcohol.One Public Health Scotland (PHS) study (16 Feb), conducted with Glasgow University, showed that despite the fact that the pandemic and related restrictions were associated with a 6% reduction in the total volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland and in England and Wales, weekly consumption remained above the UK chief medical officers’ guideline of 14 units per week in the first months of the pandemic. Adults drank an average of 17·5 units in Scotland and 16·7 units in England and Wales. However, increases in per adult off-trade sales (28% in Scotland and 29% in England & Wales), did not fully replace the loss of on-trade sales.A second PHS study (16 Feb), conducted by the University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, found that all measures of self-reported weekly off-trade consumption increased during the first three months of the COVID-19 restrictions in both Scotland (+2·4 units per adult) and England (+1·7 units per adult). However, the researchers wrote, ‘these only compensated for some of the losses in on-trade consumption’, as overall self-reported units of alcohol per week fell 0·8 units and 1·5 units respectively. The analysis of population sub-groups also uncovered some worrying signs of drinking behaviours: in Scotland, there was an increase in solitary drinking for single adult households, households with three or more adults, and those in full time education. Overall, PHS concluded that the studies ‘suggest that at a population level people in Scotland were drinking less in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic than in previous years.’Another study focusing on the UK as a whole found that more than one in six (17%) UK adults increased their alcohol consumption during lockdown, with a higher proportion of drinkers aged between 18 and 34 years of age (Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 01 Feb). Increased alcohol consumption was independently associated with poor overall mental health, increased depressive symptoms and lower mental wellbeing. Pandemic takes its toll on alcohol death ratesThere are early indications of impact of COVID-19 on alcohol deaths in England and Wales during the first two lockdowns. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released a provisional dataset showing that there were 5,460 deaths related to alcohol-specific causes registered in the first three quarters of 2020 (Jan to Sept), a 16·4% increase compared with the same nine-month period in 2019. At one point, the death rate reached its highest peak since the data time series began in 2001, of 12·8 deaths per 100,000 people (02 Feb).Commenting on the findings, Ben Humberstone, deputy director of Health Analysis and Life Events at the ONS said: ‘Today’s data shows that in the first three quarters of 2020, alcohol-specific deaths in England and Wales reached the highest level since the beginning of our data series, with April to September, during and after the first lockdown, seeing higher rates compared to the same period in previous years.‘The reasons for this are complex and it will take time before the impact the pandemic has had on alcohol-specific deaths is fully understood.’In the long run, Scotland shows most improvement on alcohol deathsLong term trends highlight contrasting fortunes between Scotland and the other UK nations in recent years.The ONS published ‘Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2019’, which found that there were 7,565 deaths (11.8 per 100,000 population) registered in the UK that related to alcohol-specific causes in 2019. This is the second highest number of deaths since the data time series began in 2001.Between the UK nations, Northern Ireland became the constituent country with the highest alcohol-specific death rate in 2019 (18.8 deaths per 100,000), partly because of its worsening rates (2019 saw the mortality rate reach a record high of 18·8 per 100,000 people) and partly because of Scotland drastically lowering its rate over the same period – Scotland is only UK nation to show statistically significant improvement in its alcohol-specific death rates since records began in 2001.Alcohol deaths, an ageing problemTrend data also indicate that the mortality rate crept upwards over the period, exposing the emerging phenomenon of middle-age / older drinkers’ ill health: there were significant increases since 2001 in the rate of alcohol-specific deaths of people aged 55 to 79 years.The report noted that: ‘Given that the definition of alcohol-specific deaths includes mostly chronic conditions, such as alcoholic liver disease, the increased rates in the older age groups may be a consequence of misuse of alcohol that began years, or even decades, earlier’.EU promises to beat cancer by tackling alcohol labellingEU commissioners agreed to propose placing mandatory health warnings on alcoholic beverages by 2023, as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (POLITICO, 03 Feb).Brussels will also propose labelling alcoholic beverages with ‘mandatory indications’ of their ingredients and nutritional contents by the end of 2022. The measures will be part of a Commission review of its promotional policy for alcoholic beverages.An earlier draft of the plan had: proposed including calorie content information on labels; committed the Commission to ‘stop stimulating consumption of alcohol via the EU promotion programme for agricultural products’ and to review EU legislation relating to the taxation of alcohol and on cross border purchases of alcohol by private individuals; and called for the Commission to ‘closely work with member states to reduce online marketing and advertising’ as a way of reducing young people’s exposure to alcohol promotion. However, these proposals were dropped from the final version.Both industry and public health figures welcomed the plan, albeit for different reasons. Ulrich Adam, the director general of industry group spiritsEUROPE, said they were ‘heartened to see that the Commission plans to encourage self- and co-regulatory initiatives related to marketing, an area in which our sector has long delivered on ambitious standards and targets’.Mariann Skar, secretary general of European Alcohol Policy Alliance, said in a press statement: ‘It is high time that the forgotten link between alcohol and cancer is brought to the attention of the public. As consumers we have the right to know about the effect’s alcohol consumption has on our health. There needs to be better public information, more awareness among health professionals and effective public health measures to highlight this link and to further promote action to reduce avoidable illnesses and deaths.’Alcohol and fatherhood study finds ‘teachable moment’🎵 Podcast feature 🎵New fathers’ voices are almost absent in relation to their experiences of alcohol use and of research on the effectiveness of interventions to support them to reduce alcohol consumption, according to a new report published under the IAS Small Grants Scheme (25 Feb).Dr Elena Dimova, research fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University, conducted a scoping review of the literature on the subject of alcohol and fatherhood. Qualitative studies suggested that men may reduce their drinking to support their pregnant partner. However, men’s alcohol consumption beyond this narrow focus is rarely explored. Another study explored in depth men’s views of problematic drinking during fatherhood and found that men believed that fathers should be a role model for their children. The review also identified two interventions, of which one showed significant reduction in alcohol use among fathers, suggesting that couple-based interventions may be effective in addressing health behaviours. However, it was a smoking intervention which did not address alcohol directly.Men (especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds) are more likely than women to drink at hazardous/harmful levels and to suffer from alcohol-related harm. This is compounded by a gender inequality in relation to men’s involvement in family planning and antenatal care. However, the transition to fatherhood may present a ‘teachable moment’ when men evaluate their health, modify existing health behaviours and adopt new ones.The findings have implications for researchers and health practitioners, as insufficient understanding of new fathers’ experiences of alcohol use may result in missed opportunities to address hazardous and harmful drinking among men during an important period of transition into fatherhood.Dr Dimova presented her review, ‘Exploring men’s alcohol consumption in the context of becoming a father’ at the regular Alcohol Occasionals seminars.You can hear highlights of the event in the February 2021 Alcohol Alert podcast.In other researchNew findings show that alcohol-related violence affects the poorest in society to the greatest degree, with the most deprived groups experiencing up to 14 times as many incidents of alcohol-related domestic violence every year, compared with the least deprived (PLoS ONE, 18 Feb). Drawing data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the years 2013/14 to 2017/18, IAS research and policy officer Lucy Bryant and Dr Carly Lightowlers from the University of Liverpool also found that lower socioeconomic groups experience higher prevalence rates of alcohol-related violence overall, and that the likelihood of experiencing these types of violence is affected by a person’s socioeconomic status even when other risk factors known to be associated with violence are held constant. The researchers conclude: ‘along with action to address environmental and economic drivers of socioeconomic inequality, provision of publicly funded domestic violence services should be improved, and alcohol pricing and availability interventions should be investigated for their potential to disproportionately benefit lower socioeconomic groups.’Midwife advice about the low risk alcohol guidelines for pregnant women beyond the initial booking appointment can ‘lead to improved outcomes for women and infants’, according to research published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.An online survey of UK midwives found that of 842 respondents, nearly three fifths (58%, 484) were aware of the 2016 Alcohol Guidelines, from which 91% (438) cited abstinence as a recommendation. The study also found that the vast majority of midwives would always (90%) or usually (7%) advise women to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy at the booking appointment. Just over a third (38%) did so at subsequent antenatal appointments.Regarding midwives’ opinions about the usefulness of the low risk guidelines, the research team found that the biggest barriers to advising women using those guidelines were: a lack of belief that the guidelines are accurate and represent the best available evidence on alcohol and pregnancy; a belief that the guidelines do not support building a rapport with women; that women do not like being advised about abstinence and a belief that advising women to abstain has no impact on their behaviour.Midwives were most likely to advise women to abstain from alcohol if the desire and intention was there and if they saw it as integral to their job.Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are significantly more likely to have mental health conditions and report alcohol and drug misuse than heterosexual people, according to a new study led by University College London researchers in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and City University (UCL, 17 Feb).Published in Psychological Medicine, the research analysed data from the 2007 and 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys comprising a total of 10,433 people in England aged 16-64, finding no improvement over the period: LGB people remained at higher risk of poorer mental health when compared to heterosexuals.The prevalence of alcohol misuse was highest in lesbian and gay people, at 37%, compared with bisexual people at 31%, and heterosexuals at 24%.Given this continued disparity, the report’s authors call for government action to ensure equity in health and social care services.In Australia, minimum unit pricing (MUP) has seen consumption of high alcohol content such as cheap cask wine slashed in the Northern Territory region. An examination of the policy – which required retailers to charge a floor price of $1.30(AU) per standard drink (10g pure alcohol) from October 2018 – saw a corresponding halving (50·6%) of per capita alcohol consumption in the 12-month period following its implementation compared with the year before (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 09 Feb).Alcohol industry actors use ‘confrontational tactics’ to undermine public health messaging such as the UK’s low risk guidelines, according to research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (15 Feb). Interviews with civil servants, parliamentarians, and public health and civil society actors revealed a major public relations campaign in which major alcohol producers strongly criticised the guidance of the UK Chief Medical Officers, rejecting the well-established association between alcohol and cancer ‘without recourse to evidence’. Furthermore, the Portman Group, which was prominent in the industry’s response, failed to instruct their members to carry the revised content on product labels. The authors of the study write that their analysis ‘further calls into question the rationale for co-regulatory and partnership-based approaches with the alcohol industry.’Budget 2021: Raise duty for the good of the nation‘s healthPublic health experts and think tanks are calling on the government to raise alcohol duty to help combat the ill health effects of alcohol ahead of this year’s Budget. Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) both wrote letters to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in support of Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) UK’s campaign to increase alcohol duty by 2%.Lindsay Paterson (interim director) and Dr Alastair MacGilchrist (chair) of SHAAP also wrote in favour of a ‘simpler, fairer system which is proportionate, consistent, scaled and regularly uprated’ (15 Feb). Dr Katherine Severi (IAS chief executive) suggested that raising duties would provide the ‘double dividend’ of both reducing the alcohol harms and generating vital public revenues at this crucial time for HM Treasury, when alcohol duty cuts and freezes since 2012 have cost £1·3 billion annually in lost revenue – the equivalent of the salary of 41,000 nurses (10 Feb).In a blog post for the AHA, Colin Shevills, director of Balance the North East Alcohol Office, noted that a further cut in alcohol duties risks increasing the price differential between the off and on trade, ‘thus making things worse for pubs’ at a time when their trade has been decimated by the pandemic (12 Feb).Recognising this differential, think tank the Social Market Foundation produced analysis setting out reforms to alcohol duty that could provide a lifeline to the hospitality industry while reducing harmful drinking (19 Feb).They claim that a ‘pub relief’ on alcohol duty that allowed pubs, bars and other licensed premises to claim back a percentage of the duty costs that they face would ensure that publicans directly benefit instead of brewers, and even if HM Treasury kept alcohol duty revenue-neutral, such a change would boost on-trade beer sales amounts by roughly 95 million additional pints a year. The next Budget will be held on 03 March 2021.Child calls about parental alcohol misuse soar during pandemicThe average number of calls to leading children’s charity NSPCC about parental or adult substance misuse rose two thirds (66%) in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (NSPCC, 17 Feb).According to their figures, there was an average of 709 contacts to the NSPCC helpline about parent/adult alcohol/substance misuse a month before the first national lockdown, which increased to 1,178.This news came during COA Week, led by the charity the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), who provide year-round support for children affected by parental alcohol problems. Jonathan Ashworth MP and Josh Connelly from NACOA shared their experiences living with alcohol-dependent fathers in national media outlets including Times Radio.GEM: UK drink-driving policies in the slow laneThe UK Government could learn from overseas countries’ examples of how to tackle drink-driving, say road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist, as it follows other groups in calling for a review of inadequate drink drive laws as deaths involving drink drivers reached a 10-year high (Fleet World, 17 Feb).Provisional government statistics for 2019 show that there were an estimated 280 deaths from drink-driving on Great Britain’s roads, 40 more than the previous year and the highest number of deaths since 2009 (Department for Transport, 11 Feb).This follows a report from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) last month that said UK drink-driving policy needed a major review, advancing solutions such as a lower limit and improved breath testing enforcement.GEM chief executive Neil Worth said: ‘Levels of police enforcement have decreased by 63% since 2009, whilst the much-heralded roadside evidential breath testing equipment shows no signs of making it into the police toolkit any time soon. As things stand, England and Wales have Europe’s highest drink drive limits, with absurdly long and complex police procedures required to secure a prosecution.’GEM has instead said that the government should use examples of good practice from other countries – including Estonia, Denmark, Australia, Israel, Belgium, and Finland – as the basis for taking urgent steps to reform the rules around drink-driving.The UK Alcohol Alert (incorporating Alliance News) is designed and produced by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. Please click the image below to visit our website and find out more about us and what we do, or the ‘Contact us’ button. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

The City View is back for 2021 with a new format, a new host and a very special guest, with City A.M.'s Andy Silvester talking to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. The pair discuss the Government's response to the pandemic, the future of cities and whether the work-from-home shift is a permanent one. They also discuss what's next for the post-Brexit City of London, with the Chancellor looking forward to "Big Bang 2.0." Andy is also joined by Susannah Streeter, a former BBC business journalist and now a senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, to look at the week to come in the Square Mile. And City A.M.'s James Warrington, who covers media and tech for the paper, discusses the fallout from social media firms banning President Donald Trump, optimism in the tech sector, and Brexit's material impact at the border.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello and welcome to the Alcohol Alert, brought to you by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. In this edition:Home drinking increasingly becomes the new normal during lockdownEconomics think tank study says a reformed duty system would improve MUP’s effectivenessAlcohol Health Alliance UK pricing survey finds that alcohol is still being sold at pocket money pricesScottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems call for all MSP candidates to promise a total ban on alcohol advertising ahead of the 2021 electionsIAS to hold an online event presenting new findings on alcohol policy and nudge theory 🎵 Podcast feature 🎵The Scottish Government launches a free FASD eLearning resourceWe hope you enjoy our roundup of stories below: please feel free to share. Thank you.Lockdown: home drinking becomes the new normalNovember saw the UK enter into a second lockdown, as ministers realised that the tier system for controlling the virus could no longer contain the rising R rates throughout the UK. As a result, all pubs were forced to close from 05 November until 02 December (Morning Advertiser, 31 Oct), and anticipated bans such as that of alcohol consumed on ScotRail trains came into force (STV News, 16 Nov).The penultimate month of the calendar year was also a time for reflecting on how people’s drinking habits had changed since the first lockdown.A study from alcohol industry-funded body Drinkaware found that women were a bigger influence than men out of the 26% of people whose alcohol intake increased between March and June (Daily Mail, 02 Nov), the primary reason for doing so being that they had ‘more free time available’.The Royal College of Psychiatrists observed that nearly half (45%) of its psychiatrists had seen a rise in patients whose alcohol or drug use had contributed to a deterioration in their mental health during the pandemic (The Telegraph, 15 Nov), Dr Katherine Severi, IAS chief executive, explained that ‘the closure of bars and restaurants had driven people into drinking at home, which meant it was not only cheaper than buying in a restaurant but also that people were consuming more.’Data from Public Health England (PHE) also showed that older age groups all significantly increased their alcohol intake during lockdown, with a fifth of those aged 45 to 74 years drinking more than 21 units a week. Those aged 55 to 64 who drank at least a pint a day (three units) jumped from 17·4% to 20·6% with one in 20 consuming more than 50 units weekly, almost three pints a day.And an Opinion Matters poll of more than 1,000 people aged over 50 years, commissioned by We Are With You found that: 20% were drinking more since March; 10% earlier in the day; and more than half drink at a level that could cause health problems now or in the future, a cause of great concern for 35% of those surveyed who are children of those parents. Projected tax receipts and sales data appeared to confirm that off-licence vendors of alcohol have profited substantially from the pandemic. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic and fiscal outlook revised alcohol duties upward by an average £1 billion a year, as receipts in 2020/21 held up much better than assumed (24 Nov):The loss in receipts from closures of pubs and restaurants has been more than offset by higher sales in supermarkets and other shops. Alcohol consumption has therefore been one of the few tax bases left relatively unscathed by the virus.The 2020 British Lifestyles Report from consumer research group Mintel estimated that annual retail value sales of alcoholic drinks will grow at its fastest rate for at least a decade – 16% – to reach £25.5 billion in 2020, ‘as people trade nights out for evenings in’ (20 Nov). Spending per household on alcohol is expected to average £129 in 2020.Jack Duckett, Mintel associate director of consumer lifestyles research, also wrote of the potential for further growth from drinks makers appealing to the mature drinker:The growth in the size of the older population over the next five years, and the fact that they are most likely to be insulated from the financial impact of the pandemic, makes targeting the ‘grey pound’ particularly timely for all brands including alcoholic drinks.In Ireland, the Revenue discovered a slump in drinking outside the home, as their sales data recorded a 4.5% fall in alcohol consumption since the start of the year, mainly because of pubs forced to close for lockdowns. Alcohol Action Ireland warned that drinkers ‘had largely substituted their on-trade activity with unregulated home drinking’, a sentiment echoed by the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland chief Padraig Cribben. He told the Irish Sun it was ‘obvious that because of the pandemic a massive volume of alcohol is now consumed at home’ (03 Nov).And where drinking patterns have moved indoors, so have increased risks of alcohol-related harm. Consultant psychiatrist Rebecca Lawrence wrote in The Guardian that although it is difficult to determine the exact picture of British drinking habits during lockdown, we can ‘intuit’ some things (18 Nov):I worry about those who were drinking just a bit too much before who have now tipped into problem drinking. It doesn’t take a lot, and there are many on this uncertain edge. Stress levels are high, with fears about infection or economic insecurity taking their toll.Many of my patients who are already alcohol-dependent tell me they have relapsed due to boredom, and, even more importantly, lack of any human contact. When we talk about relapse prevention, we talk about seeing people, talking to people, going to groups, and all this is up the spout at present. There are groups online, but not everyone can access these. In any case, it’s not the same, as those of us who are all Zoomed out will testify to.Sometimes too much contact is the problem: families are forced together, something that can be hard even for the most loving partners or parents. Alcohol can be a form of mental, if not physical, escape.Whether newly dependent or relapsed, what’s clear is that people need help to get through this.Funding public health: Winter plans and ‘Spending Reviews’In the final week of lockdown, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the government’s post-lockdown winter plan to the House of Commons: a return to the tier system, with the added detail of businesses to be permitted to serve alcohol ‘only as part of a substantial meal’ in designated tier 2 zones of the country, a move unlikely to curb increasingly routinised home drinking habits and their potential harms (23 Nov).Furthermore, the lack of sufficient services for the rising numbers of people struggling with alcohol dependency and other substance misuse problems led to calls from the Local Government Association (LGA) – which represents councils responsible for public health – for the chancellor to invest in vital public health services ahead of the Spending Review (LGA, 21 Nov):COVID-19 [has] exposed existing health inequalities which need to be levelled up if we are to protect our communities in future, and so to address this divide, the Spending Review ought to have reversed the £700 million of public health funding reductions experienced by councils over the previous five years.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak authorised the provision of £254 million of additional resource funding in 2021/22, to ‘bolster’ substance misuse and frontline support services, for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping (HM Treasury, 25 Nov).As we head into the winter, with alcohol-related health outcomes worsen for many drinkers across the UK because of the drastic change to consumption habits induced by the pandemic, the calls of local authorities to support public health services may yet grow louder.Reformed duty system would improve MUP’s effectivenessEconomics think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) have published new research showing that while minimum unit prices for alcohol (MUP) are reasonably well targeted at heavy drinkers, they may come at the cost of reducing tax revenues (20 Nov).Using data on millions of alcohol purchases made by Scottish and English households, the analysis shows that:Prior to the introduction of the minimum unit price, half of all transactions for alcohol bought in shops in Scotland were below 50p per unit. The minimum unit price led to a 5% increase in the average price per unit, but some very cheap products saw their prices double, while more expensive products were unaffected.This led to an 11% fall in units purchased per adult per week, with larger falls for more heavily drinking households.However, the IFS fear that MUP creates windfall revenues for the alcohol industry, while reducing revenue for HM Treasury:The analysis finds that if the 50p minimum unit price were extended to the whole of the UK under the existing system of alcohol taxes, then tax revenue would fall by around £390 million per year.This is in addition to projected annual losses from recent changes to alcohol duties averaging £200m to 2024/25.The report’s authors conclude that ‘a minimum unit price, combined with a more coherent set of taxes on alcohol, would be just as well targeted at heavy drinkers and would limit the fall in revenue for the exchequer’.Alternatively, they propose replacing the current system of duties with ‘a two-rate structure that taxes alcohol in proportion to its alcohol content, with a higher rate on strong spirits’, which would lead to an increase in tax revenue of over £70 million.One of the report’s authors, associate director Kate Smith, said:The current system of alcohol duties is incoherent – for example, if you prefer a pint of beer to cider, you may currently pay more than twice as much tax for a drink with the same alcohol content. Brexit offers a valuable opportunity to improve the way we tax alcohol. A simple reform that taxes drinks in proportion to their alcohol content, with a higher rate on strong spirits, targets the purchases of heavy drinkers while raising tax revenue.Public health experts from Alcohol Health Alliance UK, the Foundation for Liver Research, the House of Lords, and the pro-vice-chancellor of health and life sciences at the University of Bristol, welcomed the report, stating that the measures proposed by the IFS could save more than 5,000 lives over the next decade.In a letter to The Times (23 Nov), they wrote:Although the money from minimum unit pricing alone stays with the retailer, the saving of costs to the NHS of reduced drinking outweighs that loss. Also, if combined with a scaled and consistent alcohol duty system to offset some of the wider costs of alcohol harm to society, these measures could save more than 5,000 lives in the next decade.Alcohol prices are ‘small change’ to drinkers, survey findsAdapted from the Alcohol Health Alliance UK press releaseAlcohol continues to be sold at pocket money prices in England, with it being possible to drink the weekly low-risk drinking guideline of 14 units of alcohol for less than the price of a cup of high street coffee, according to a new report from the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) UK, a coalition of more than 55 organisations including medical royal colleges and health charities (10 Nov).Comparing the prices of alcoholic drinks sold in shops and supermarkets across England, Scotland and Wales, researchers found the cheapest products were all sold in England, the only nation of the three not to have a minimum unit price of 50 pence.Cider is the cheapest available product in England and is being sold for as little as 19p per unit of alcohol, meaning that consumers can reach the weekly low-risk drinking guideline of 14 units of alcohol for just £2·68 – about the price of a large coffee in high street coffee chains. A single bottle of the cheapest cider also contains more alcohol than eight pints of beer – and costs 8 pence less than a single pint in a pub.For the price of a standard cinema ticket (£7·11), you could buy two bottles of wine, containing 19·5 units and have 13 pence change leftover, and a one-litre bottle of vodka, which contains 37·5 units, is cheaper than a large pizza at Dominos (£14·99).In light of the findings, the AHA calls on the government to commit to tackling cheap, high-strength alcohol in its review of the alcohol duty system and through introducing minimum unit pricing in England. AHA chair, professor Sir Ian Gilmore, said:The low price of high strength alcohol continues to cause immeasurable damage to the health of our nation. Alcohol is linked to 80 deaths in the UK every day, as well as seven types of cancer and stroke.To tackle the harm alcohol causes, we need to urgently address its price. Alcohol duty is currently too low to cover the costs of alcohol harm to the NHS and other public services. Public Health England estimates that alcohol costs the UK at least £27 billion a year. Yet over the past five years, alcohol duty has raised just £10·5-£12·1 billion annually. To pay for the costs to society that alcohol imposes, stronger drinks should be taxed more. Reforming alcohol duty will help create a fairer system for everyone as well as improving our nation’s health.With alcohol-related hospital admissions at record highs, and liver disease rates on the rise, we can’t afford for alcohol to remain at such low prices.In other researchNew annual mortality and morbidity statistics for Scotland showed a mixed outlook: there was a substantial improvement for the former, but not so for the latter.The number of alcohol-specific deaths was 1,020 deaths in 2019, 10% down on the previous year’s tally of 1,136 (National Records of Scotland (NRS), 24 Nov).2019 represents the first substantial decrease in recent years, after a period of generalincrease since 2012, and is only the fourth occasion when there has been a reduction in alcohol-specific deaths of around 10% or more in a single year (in 2007, 2009 and 2012) since records began. However, the NRS was quick to note that ‘although an annual decrease of this magnitude is notable, further years will be required to see if this reduction continues and conclude that this is a sustained shift in alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland.’In comparison, annual alcohol-related hospital statistics show incremental changes in admissions (35,781) and patient (23,685) numbers to general acute hospitals in 2019/20 compared with the previous year (Public Health Scotland, 17 Nov). There has been no significant improvement in numbers since 2012/13.Researchers from the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge have developed a preliminary typology of drinking behaviours from existing evidence of the impact of glassware design on those behaviours, as a basis for reducing alcohol consumption to improve population health (Health Psychology Review, 18 Nov).Despite the ‘paucity of evidence’ over the issue, the team were able to cut a distinction between macro (measures of drinking outcomes involving consumption, or proxies for consumption) and micro (a form of short-term influence on drinking) -drinking behaviours. They also explored the roles of two sets of possible underlying mechanisms – perception and affordance – in determining a drinker’s actions.The study’s authors concluded that using this typology as a framework and starting point for understanding the micro-structure of a drinking episode may harness important insights for developing interventions aimed at reducing consumption, such as how an intervention works to reduce intake, plus other important effects on drinking behaviours ‘that may not be captured by a “macro” measure of drinking in a given study’.Almost three quarters of 15 and 16-year-olds in Ireland have tried alcohol, with around half of these using alcohol 'to make social gatherings more fun', according to the new iteration of the European Schools Project for Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) (Irish Health, 17 Nov). The survey of almost 2,000 secondary schoolchildren found that 73% of respondents had tried alcohol, while 41% had drunk alcohol in the previous 30 days. 49% said drinking made social gatherings more fun, while almost as many (48%) did so to enjoy a party. The most common age that teenagers began drinking alcohol was 15 (52%), and a sixth (16%) said they had been drunk in the previous 30 days.The survey also found that increased alcohol use among the teens was associated with lower parental education levels and lower parental monitoring, truancy and lower school grades.Nearly two in three people feel the current ‘drink responsibly’ message on bottles is too vague and should be replaced with specific health warnings, specialists at the Priory Group addiction and mental health service found (LBC, 18 Nov).In a poll of 1,000 adults for Alcohol Awareness Week, 59% said beverages should display a cancer warning and eight in ten feel the UK ‘has a problem’ with binge drinking.The 2019/20 adult substance misuse treatment statistics report published by Public Health England suggests that an estimated 82% of adults in need of specialist treatment for alcohol do not receive it (26 Nov).Alongside small year-on-year changes to the numbers of adults in treatment, the figures showed that people in treatment for alcohol only are the second largest group (28%) of all adults in treatment, the majority of people (59%) who started treatment for drug and alcohol problems in 2019/20, said they had a problem with alcohol, with 65% (50,957) reporting that it was their only problem substance, and although still relatively high, the proportion of people with alcohol only problems leaving treatment free of dependence has fallen three percentage points since 2015/2016 (from 62%), hinting at the start of a declining trend.SHAAP manifesto calls for total ban on alcohol advertisingAlcohol control campaign group Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) have urged every candidate in next year’s Holyrood election to support a ‘total ban’ on alcohol advertising (STV News, 19 Nov).Publishing their manifesto ahead of the vote in May, they list four ‘focus areas’ aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms that all parties should support:Affordability, availability and attractivenessInvesting in and improving treatment and support servicesSupporting recovery and reducing health inequalitiesProtecting children and young peopleThe manifesto states that ‘as we approach the Scottish parliament election of 2021, it is more important than ever that we do not lose sight of long-term public health measures that can improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in Scotland, build the resilience of our NHS and local care services, and benefit the economy’.SHAAP chair Dr Peter Rice said: Covid-19 has shone a light on the patchy and often disjointed nature of alcohol treatment service provision, even prior to lockdown, and we do not yet know what long-term impact the pandemic will have on people’s drinking behaviours, though research so far indicates that heavier drinkers have increased their consumption.Our 2021 manifesto highlights cost-effective, evidence-based policies that, if properly implemented, will work to ensure that Covid-19 does not exacerbate alcohol-related harm and health inequalities in Scotland and that we are able to meet long-term public health goals that are essential if we are to build a healthier, fairer future.Online event on alcohol policy and nudge theory🎵 Podcast feature 🎵The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) is holding a seminar exploring the latest evidence on nudge theory in alcohol policy, in conjunction with a new report (02 Dec).Using a case study of UK Government alcohol policy since 2017, IAS research and policy officer Lucy Bryant examined the framing of individuals and alcohol industry actors within public health nudge policy interventions, revealing ways in which nudge theories risked undermining support for better evidenced public health alcohol measures such as pricing interventions in practice. Bryant’s findings will be presented alongside new research from Professor Mark Petticrew (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), as well as insights from the gambling field from Philip Newall PhD (postdoctoral researcher at CQUniversity's Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory).Dr Gillian Shorter of Queen's University Belfast, who is chairing the event, said:With alcohol implemented in over half the Sustainable Development Goals, now really is a good time to act with responsible policies to preserve health… so we posit to you: to what extent can we use nudge policies for effective behaviour change, and to what extent do they crowd out other potentially more effective policy options? We invite you to come along, have your say, and tell us what you think.For more details of the event and to register your attendance, please view the image below, or click on this link.FASD: Invisible, Not InconsequentialAdapted from the Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland websiteThe Scottish Government has launched a free FASD eLearning resource on the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) website, a move that could have significant benefits for professionals and the individuals/families affected if widely used and shared.Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is both the most common and the most overlooked neurodevelopmental condition in Scotland. The Scottish Government estimates that approximately 172,000 children, young people and adults across the country have their lives and life chances adversely affected by FASD. And yet, only a small proportion of people with FASD have been diagnosed, actively assisted or effectively supported.Created by a Scottish Government Expert Group, the eLearning resource aims to help overcome the longstanding misdiagnosis, misunderstanding and mistreatment of people with this life-altering condition. For further information, please contact one of the members of the group, Dr Jonathan Sher, at jonathan.sher@qnis.org.uk or on 0744 333 1953.The UK Alcohol Alert (incorporating Alliance News) is designed and produced by The Institute of Alcohol Studies. Please click the image below to visit our website and find out more about us and what we do, or the ‘Contact us’ button. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

GBP/USD rose 0.4% to 1.3329, helped by the AstraZeneca vaccine news. Addiitionally, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Sunday that he is optimistic that a Brexit trade agreement with the European Union will be reached soon. Still, even if the UK-EU trade deal is reached, “the lack of risk premia priced into GBP suggests only a limited upside,” said analysts at ING, in a research note. However, with politics and the U.K.-EU relationship uncertainty taking a less prominent role next year, this should allow GBP to benefit from the weak USD dynamics, sending GBP/USD above 1.40 in 2021. The pound was also edging higher against the euro, testing the five-month high it notched earlier this month. The upside momentum in Cable could extend to the 1.3360 area in the next weeks according to the UoB Group. The upbeat manufacturing PM partly offset concerns about the economic damage caused by the second wave of coronavirus infections in the region. This, in turn, remained supportive of a bid tone surrounding the EUR/USD pair, which was last seen trading with modest daily gains near the 1.1870 region. The Dollar Index was 0.2% at 92.248, just above the month's low of 92.129. USD/JPY fell 0.1% to 103.81, while the risk sensitive AUD/USD rose 0.2% to 0.7317.

In this episode of the Daily Briefing, we discuss the new economic measures announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, AR Dog Goggles being tested for the US Army; and the troubles university students are currently facing in relation to university. To sign up to the newsletter, visit tldrnews.co.uk/daily To watch the video version of this podcast, go to youtube.com/tldrdaily

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak joins Julia to discuss his mini budget which was announced in full yesterday. Wes Streeting, Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Labour MP on half-price meals and reduced VAT which are part of the plan to save our economy from coronavirus. Julia is also joined by Mel Stride, Chair of the Treasury Select Committee and Conservative MP. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On a scale of how worried to be about Coronavirus, Toby is on three, but James is on eight. In fact, James thinks he's got it. As of publication there's been 373 confirmed cases in the UK and 6 confirmed deaths. Also on the agenda: Britain's forthcoming green budget from the relatively unknown (but heavily ratioed on Twitter) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, the no-platforming of former MP... Source