Good morning.
Michael Gove has repeated plans to use the homes of sanctioned Russian oligarchs(£) to house Ukrainian refugees. The housing secretary said the properties could be adopted for “humanitarian” purposes.
But proving who owns what(£) is no easy feat.
Banks have been told to release all information(£) they hold on oligarchs under sanctions.
But, says Lord Agnew in The Times (£), bad actors will still be able to “drive a coach and horses” through the transparency measures contained in the Economic Crime Bill.
From today UK homeowners(£) will be able to put their properties on a list under plans to house tens of thousands(£) of Ukrainian refugees. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has already said he wants to be part of the scheme.
And a coalition of leading British businesses, including Marks & Spencer and Morrisons, is hoping to offer both jobs and accommodation(£) to Ukrainian refugees.
As the chancellor(£) puts more pressure on firms to sever links with Russia.
And more wealthy Russians are following Roman Abramovich’s lead and investing in Israeli property(£). It could be the sanctions boosting the appeal, or it could be the favourable tax regime. Or it could be the pact between Israel and Russia not to carry out assassinations on each other’s soil.
In other news, investors hit by the collapse of peer-to-peer lender Funding Secure(£) have gained access to the family pension scheme of a London art dealer.
M&S is embracing ELC to add some TLC to the PLC. (Sorry, it is opening Early Learning Centre outlets in some of its stores…)
Inflation could reach 10%(£) this year, says the New Economics Foundation.
As tenants face having to find an extra £1,000 to cover rising rents and household bills.
Rail operators are in talks to close hundreds of ticket offices(£), with plans to use the space for more in-station retail.
And EG Like Sunday Morning has a bumper show for you to listen to as you train, cycle and otherwise wend your way to MIPIM.
Plans for a £30m Norman Foster-designed winery(£) in Kent have been crushed, after claims that they resembled a “Teletubby palace”.
Tensions between North and South Korea have literally scuppered the Haegumgang floating hotel(£).
And finally, Elon Musk has done rather well out of his pledge to “own no house”(£). The sales of his seven California properties for $128m have netted the Tesla boss a tidy $25m profit. Wonder what he’ll spend it on?
