Tag Archives: Philip Green

Rudd’s posturing – no help at all

Posted on February 10, 2019 by henry tapper

When BHS went belly up, this blog pointed the finger of blame at Philip Green for putting dividends before the pensions of the staff who earned him them. Green coughed up over £350m and the BHS pension scheme restructured into … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Let’s put an end to pension transfer privilege.

Posted on January 2, 2017 by henry tapper

“Sexy cash” legitimised? A few years ago , Sir Steve Webb, then our pension minister, stood in front of the PLSA and berated Boots and its pension scheme for tempting members out of the pension scheme with cash incentives. He … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The weight of a nation v the next Philip Green

Posted on August 9, 2016 by henry tapper

The DWP Select Committee, currently the only centre of pension’s expertise in the House of Commons, has called for written evidence on Defined benefit (DB) pensions regulation by the Pensions Regulator (TPR), including: the adequacy of regulatory powers, including anti-avoidance provisions … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get off your boat, get back to the Regulator, go and write a whacking big cheque.

Posted on July 25, 2016 by henry tapper

A paraphrase of Frank Field’s advice to (Sir) Philip Green, after the publication of a damning report into the failure of governance that Green created in his 15 years in charge of BHS. Here is his press comment “One person, … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The still small voice of the (BHS) pensioner

Posted on June 21, 2016 by henry tapper

  I think back now to the people with whom I worked in BHS – by and large decent and hard-working folk, who had little prospect of ever being well-off unless they won the lottery or their Premium Bond came … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A tale of two failures. (BHS and Tata Steel)

Posted on May 27, 2016 by henry tapper

BHS and Tata Steel; they have a lot in common BHS is a  failed retailer, a tired brand with 11,000 employees and a medium sized pension scheme with a hole in it. Tata Steel is a failed steelmaker, an iconic business … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Putting yourself second – what a boss should do.

Posted on May 14, 2016 by henry tapper

There is no law that says you should be polite. Standing aside from someone getting off a train, opening doors for the elderly and those with push-chairs, paying your pension bills before paying your dividend, these are all things we … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Altmann standing up for Pensions

Posted on May 8, 2016 by henry tapper

I read this account of the Pension Minister’s rebuff to Lord Myners with some pride. Well done on Ollie Smith of Citywire for picking up on it. What Ros Altmann was saying is crucially important. The Pensions Regulator is there to … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How well protected are you if your pension scheme goes bust?

Posted on May 1, 2016 by henry tapper

Not since the early years of the century has so much attention been paid to the solvency of our defined benefit pension schemes. The triple whammy of Tata Steel, BHS and Austin Reed’s schemes will potentially hit the Pension Protection … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Royal London’s IGC kicks off reporting

Posted on March 4, 2016 by henry tapper

Royal London’s IGC yesterday became the first to report on its activities in the past 12 months. The report is 9 pages long , is readable and contains some substantive improvements which the IGC has negotiated with Royal London to … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments