FirstFT: Excessive Courtroom judges invested in tax avoidance schemes

On the prime of right this moment’s information, three Excessive Courtroom judges invested in controversial tax avoidance schemes that have been challenged by HM Income & Customs, together with one decide who has dominated on tax avoidance circumstances, elevating questions in regards to the UK’s lax method to disclosure of judicial pursuits.

The investments by Justices Joanna Smith, Simon Bryan and Martin Griffiths have been first made a couple of decade in the past, earlier than their appointments to the Excessive Courtroom, however within the circumstances of Bryan and Griffiths after they started their judicial careers.

Every has retained their pursuits within the schemes after taking their positions as Excessive Courtroom judges, Corporations Home information present.

Two different sitting Excessive Courtroom judges made related investments in tax schemes which have since closed, one in every of which was referred to as “extremely abusive” and “fully contrived” by a authorities minister.

The revelations elevate questions in regards to the judgment of a number of the UK’s prime authorized minds, in addition to the Excessive Courtroom appointment course of and the absence of guidelines requiring UK judges to make formal disclosures about their monetary affairs, both publicly or privately.

Right here’s what else I’m preserving tabs on right this moment:

• Financial information: The EU publishes flash first-quarter gross home product and employment figures, whereas the UK has its month-to-month labour market report and the Zew Financial Sentiment survey is due in Germany.

• European Central Financial institution: ECB supervisory board member Anneli Tuominen and Dominique Laboureix, chair of the Single Decision Board, communicate on the Iese Enterprise Faculty’s Madrid campus.

• Cannes: The 76th iteration of the internationally famend movie pageant begins within the south of France.

• Outcomes: Boohoo.com, Bouygues, Britvic, Imperial Manufacturers, Land Securities, Marston’s and Vodafone report.

5 extra prime tales

1. The UK’s policing minister has pushed for elevated use of facial recognition expertise by legislation enforcement throughout the nation. Any such transfer by Chris Philp, who was appointed minister of state for crime, policing and fireplace final October, is more likely to be divisive, as critics argue the expertise is inaccurate and a few of its functions unlawful.

2. Ford plans to reduce future investments in China, with the corporate’s chief government telling the Monetary Occasions there was “no assure” western carmakers may win towards native electric-vehicle rivals. Ford will as an alternative use the market to assist it higher perceive battery expertise. Learn extra from Jim Farley’s interview with the FT.

3. The EU ought to crack down on India reselling Russian oil as refined fuels together with diesel into Europe, the bloc’s excessive consultant for overseas coverage mentioned. Josep Borrell advised the FT that Brussels was conscious that Indian refiners have been shopping for giant volumes of Russian crude oil earlier than processing it into fuels on the market in Europe.

4. Norway’s $1.4tn oil fund will step up its use of shareholder proposals to ship messages on environmental, social and governance subjects to US firms. The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund filed shareholder proposals on local weather for the primary time this 12 months at 4 US firms and mentioned it thought of the trial successful.

5. File ranges of share buybacks are attracting complaints from distinguished buyers involved that the apply is boosting government bonuses however offering solely restricted advantages to shareholders. The world’s 1,200 greatest public firms collectively purchased again a report $1.3tn of their very own shares final 12 months, triple the extent of a decade in the past.

Information in-depth

As Europe’s central financial institution pushes forward with the event of an digital foreign money, conspiracy theories are swirling, with some fearing the state will use it to trace and management residents’ spending. Whereas many politicians hope a digital euro might be launched in as little as three years’ time, they’re struggling to speak convincing arguments for the venture, with opponents arguing it’s a answer in search of an issue.

We’re additionally studying . . . 

Don’t miss this episode of the FT Expertise podcast to listen to chief economist Martin Wolf talk about how he constructed his profession.

Chart of the day

This 12 months the platinum market is anticipated to chalk up its largest deficit since information started within the Seventies as provide falters in South Africa and China’s industrial enlargement powers forward. The deficit marks a stark reversal from bumper oversupply within the earlier two years when automobile manufacturing was hit by semiconductor shortages.

Take a break from the information

Since lockdown and “The Nice Slobification”, the sartorial blurring of residence and work has continued, additional boosted by the broader casualisation of office-wear. When you have a “nostalgic hankering for a bifurcated wardrobe”, you aren’t alone, writes Emma Jacobs.

Further contributions by Emily Goldberg