Westminster
Westminster plays a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s jewellery industry, with government policy, parliamentary debate, and regulatory decisions all influencing the sector’s commercial landscape. Jewellery Focus covers the latest developments from Westminster that impact jewellers, suppliers, manufacturers, and designers — from changes to hallmarking regulations and trade legislation to business rates, taxation, and retail policy. Our coverage includes political announcements, legislative updates, and industry reaction, offering jewellery professionals the insights they need to anticipate change, adapt operations, and safeguard their commercial interests.
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Oct- 2017 -10 OctoberCrime
Attempted Watchfinder robbery foiled by builders’ citizen’s arrest
Builders are thought to have performed a citizen’s arrest on one member of a group of thieves who attempted to break into Watchfinder & Co’s Avery Row store in central London today. Unconfirmed reports from social media suggested that a group of as many as 20 builders noticed the attempted…
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May- 2017 -26 MayCurrent Affairs
Goldsmiths’ Company donates £250,000 to Westminster Abbey
The Goldsmiths’ Company has contributed £250,000 to a new project at London’s Westminster Abbey. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, which are set to open in 2018, will display the Abbey’s silver plate and other key treasures reflecting the building’s “rich and varied history”. The gallery sits 70ft above the abbey…
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17 MayAppointments
Woman named boss of Goldsmiths’ Company for the first time in its 700-year history
For the first time in 700 years, one of the most respected City institutions is appointing a woman to its top job. Today marks the installation of trailblazing Londoner, Judith Cobham-Lowe OBE, as the first woman Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company. The Goldsmiths’ Company, which received its first Royal Charter…
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Apr- 2017 -18 AprilCurrent Affairs
PM Theresa May seeks snap election on 8 June
Prime Minister Theresa May today made an unscheduled announcement calling for a General Election on 8 June.Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday morning, May said Britain needed “certainty, stability and strong leadership following the EU referendum.” She added that “the country is coming together but Westminster is not.” May…
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Jul- 2016 -6 JulyEvents
ACID named ‘IP Champion’ on first British IP Day
Anti Copying in Design (ACID) has been named at the first-ever UK ‘IP Champion’, at an event in Westminster yesterday (Tuesday, 5 July). The award – handed out on the first British IP Day, launched by the Alliance for Intellectual Property – recognises a person, organisation or campaign that has…
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Aug- 2015 -28 AugustCrime
Four appear in court over Hatton Garden jewellery heist
Four people appeared in court yesterday (Thursday) in connection with the Hatton Garden jewellery raid, in which an estimated £10m worth of jewellery was stolen. Brenn Walters, also known as Ben Perkins, 43, Laura Perkins, 40, Terri Robinson, 35, and Steven Robinson, 46, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with…
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May- 2015 -26 MayCrime
Hatton Garden heist investigators arrest ninth man
Detectives investigating the Hatton Garden burglary charged a ninth man in connection with the investigation on Friday 22 May. John Harbinson (21.3.73 – 42yrs), of Beresford Gardens, Benfleet, Essex appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to burgle. Harbinson was arrested on 21 May and taken into police custody.…
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20 MayCrime
Police name and charge heist suspects
Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad investigating the burglary at Hatton Garden last night charged eight men with conspiracy to burgle. An official statement from Scotland Yard named the men as follows: [A] Terry Perkins – 67 (04.04.48) of Heene Road, Enfield [B] John Collins – 74 (05.09.40) of Blestoe Walk,…
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Dec- 2014 -23 DecemberCrime
£1m of items stolen from Christie’s London HQ
Antiques and jewellery believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds has been stolen from Christie’s, one of the world’s top auctions houses. According to the Daily Mail, valuable works of art, including rare pieces by Fabergé – the court jewellers of Imperial Russia – were taken from Christie’s…
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Sep- 2014 -23 SeptemberEditor's Blog
Shame on the other multiples for not standing with F Hinds
Outside of the trade associations (which are often referred to pejoratively inside Westminster as ‘special interest’ groups), there are only a few other ways an industry can lobby for itself, and one is for the biggest players to start shouting. That is why it is almost beyond comprehension that F Hinds…
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