Mike Ashley is a Non-executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Barclays PLC. He is also the Non-executive Chair of the Government Internal Audit Agency and his other current appointments include membership of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants and the Ethics Standards Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Mike was formerly Head of Quality and Risk Management, KPMG Europe LLP and has more than 20 years’ experience as an audit partner for several large financial services groups (most recently HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered PLC) and for the Bank of England.

This role is remunerated at £350 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Mike has declared no such activity.

A government spokesperson said:

We are deeply disappointed that the US has decided to apply tariffs to steel and aluminium imports from the EU on national security grounds. The UK and other European Union countries are close allies of the US and should be permanently and fully exempted from the American measures on steel and aluminium.

We have made clear to the US government at the highest levels the importance of UK steel and aluminium to its businesses and defence projects. We will continue to work closely with the EU and US Administration to achieve a permanent exemption, and to ensure that UK workers are protected and safeguarded.

Gill joined HMRC in 2014 to lead the Solicitor’s Office and Legal Services, advising HMRC and HM Treasury, legislating for all aspects of tax law and leading a large litigation practice safeguarding tax revenues. Gill is also HMRC’s Social Mobility champion.

She has previously worked at the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs and the Department of Health, and is chair of governors at the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, North London.

Gill’s last day with HMRC will be 30 June. A recruitment exercise will begin in due course, and interim arrangements for the leadership of the Solicitors Office and Legal Services team will be confirmed shortly.

Gill said:

Law really shapes and changes lives and I have been fortunate in having a civil service career so close to the buzz of politics. I have been able to influence and support decisions which affect our lives and society.

HMRC Chief Executive Jon Thompson said:

I’m hugely grateful to Gill for her contribution to HMRC. She has led a very successful litigation team that has protected billions in revenue and has played a vital role in shaping complex tax legislation. She has helped to shape our departmental strategy and I’ll really miss her wise counsel.

You need to use version 1.23 of the bulkload spreadsheet to submit claims in Contract Work and Administration (CWA). This is now available for you to download on GOV.UK.

The updated version 1.23 has been amended in line with the Mental Health Changes that were introduced on 1 June 2018. It replaces version 1.22 which should no longer be used for submissions.

A new guidance document has been produced. You can find out more by downloading the latest guidance from GOV.UK.

Further information

CWA updates to reporting changing

Submit a CWA claim online – to download version 1.23 of the bulkload spreadsheet

The MAIB has today issued a safety bulletin after the failure of a rescue line during a manoverboard drill on 24 March 2018.

The bulletin contains details on the background of the incident, the initial findings and the safety lessons, read more.

A full report will be published when the investigation is complete.

Request for information

To assist this investigation, it is requested that full details of any defective throw bag rescue lines discovered are also passed to the MAIB via throwbags@maib.gov.uk.