Industry news

INDUSTRY NEWS | AEROSPACE | 4 MIN READ The European Space Agency (ESA) and Barbie have collaborated to showcase the achievements of Samantha Cristoforetti, the only active female astronaut in Europe. The campaign will begin with a number of motivational videos being released, in which Ms Cristoforetti will show young girls from the UK, Germany, France and Italy around the ES...

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2 MIN READ The world’s first fully electric and emission-free container barges are to set sail this autumn. They have been dubbed the ‘Tesla of the canals’ as their electric motors will be driven by 20-foot batteries. It is believed that the first 6 barges alone could remove a staggering 23,000 trucks a year from the roads in the Netherlands. The world’s firs...

INDUSTRY NEWS | 4 MIN READ BAE systems is constructing the ground-breaking Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy. Cutting-edge digital modelling has been used to allow the engineers working on the vessel to walk through a real-life digital version wearing 3D glasses. At its Govan shipyard on the banks of their River Clyde site, BAE systems is busy preparing for the constructio...

INDUSTRY NEWS | 3 MIN READ Airbus has revealed a design concept of a hybrid-electric airline inspired by birds of prey. Incorporating design cues from eagles and falcons, the aeroplane has individually controlled feathers on the wings and tail for optimum precision flight control. The concept aims to spark the imagination of the next generation of aeronautical engineers and ...

THE IR35 KNOWLEGE SERIES | PART 4 | WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF TAKING A CAUTIOUS APPROACH? The consequences of adopting an approach that assumes an arrangement falls within IR35 will increase costs. The cautious approach used by the public sector meant that: Contractors quickly left roles to pursue work with other clients Pay rates were increased to retain contractor services T...

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2 MIN READ Lotus unveils new all-electric hypercar, the Evija. Evija could be capable of 1,972 hp to get from zero to 62mph in under three seconds Lotus has plans to produce a maximum of 130 of the vehicles, which will cost upwards from £1.7m each The Norfolk based British sports car manufacturer, Lotus has unveiled its new all-electric hypercar, the Evija. T...

The draft IR35 legislation is out and its release coincides with the results of our ‘off-payroll rules’ contractor survey. What’s clear from the draft is that the Government is pressing ahead with the April 2020 reforms by confirming its proposals laid out in previous consultations, albeit with a few amended details and further clarification around client-led appeals and sma...

The draft Finance Bill 2019-20 was released by the Government last week. As expected, it confirmed their intention to press ahead with off-payroll changes in April 2020. Champion Contractors are one of our IR35 partners and have extensive knowledge and experience in supporting legislation changes around IR35, having worked together with numerous public sector clients in prep...

MORSON SPORT | 3 MIN READ Wimbledon is in full flow as we head towards the business end of the sport’s most iconic tournament. Find out how an autonomous strawberry picking robot could outperform human fruit pickers and pave the way for a revolution in soft-fruit harvesting. It’s that time of year again on the tennis calendar. Wimbledon is in full flow as we head towards the...

Morson’s Compliance Manager, Oliver Wingrave has been featured in the safety reporting newsletter, CIRAS discussing how we keep our contractors safe and well whilst working on shifts. We recognise that night workers face a different set of safety and welfare risks to their daytime counterparts, so it makes sense to think differently when developing support provisions for the...