EXCL – Sunak should lower national insurance in 2023, argues jobs chief December 28, 2022 With inflation having reached a 40-year high this year and the economy predicted to shrink in 2023, City A.M. zooms in on the volatile, hyperactive UK jobs market by checking in with Paul Farrer, the CEO and founder of London-based recruitment giant Aspire. Sitting down with this paper today, Farrer calls on the new Prime [...]
Labour calls for new sanctions on Iran over ‘repression’ of Amini protests December 28, 2022 Britain’s Labour Party has called for new sanctions to be imposed on those engaged in suppressing protests in Iran. The UK’s shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, called for new “sanctions against individuals and organisations involved in the suppression” of the protests that have swept Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September. Amini, a [...]
The High Street in 2023: Full of tech and hyper-local but still with 17th century touches December 28, 2022 In order to save the Great British high street of the 21st century in 2023, one may need to go back in time and take inspiration from the 17th century. Far from the vision of a super futuristic, tech-heavy world, a desire for face-to-face contact and micro communities, which has been accelerated by the pandemic, will drive [...]
UK has now recouped £18m from fraudulent PPE contracts December 28, 2022 The Government has so far recouped £18m from potentially fraudulent personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts, according to Department of Health figures. Health minister Will Quince, responding to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, confirmed that as of December 12 the Department of Health had recovered £18 million from PPE contracts deemed [...]
Hostage-taking by Iran has become ‘industrialised’, senior MP tells Nazanin Zachari-Ratcliffe December 28, 2022 Hostage-taking by states has become “industrialised”, according to the chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Conservative MP Alicia Kearns made the claim as she appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme as it was guest-edited by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned in Iran for six years until her release earlier this year. Zaghari-Ratcliffe also [...]
HUNDREDS left waiting for trains after rail strike ending causes even more delays December 27, 2022 Crowds of people were left waiting at major train stations across London and beyond amid ongoing disruption despite the end of a rail strike on Tuesday. Photos showed hundreds of passengers packed inside King’s Cross and Paddington, with some journeys delayed due to the late handover of engineering works. South Western Railway also apologised to [...]
Oil prices hit three week high as traders bet on the end of Chinese zero-Covid rules December 27, 2022 Oil prices hit a three-week high on Tuesday as China’s latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions spurred hopes of a fuel demand recovery, with further support coming from cuts to U.S. energy production caused by winter storms. China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine, starting from Jan. 8, the National Health Commission said on Monday [...]
Govt launches £18m TV ads encouraging Brits to save energy December 27, 2022 A new TV advert will encourage people to save energy as the Government steps up its public information campaign. The ad comes as part of the Government’s £18 million It All Adds Up initiative, which was launched earlier this month to raise awareness of “straightforward” measures people can take to cut their bills over the [...]
Bus and train strikes continue to frustrate retailers looking to cash in on Bank Holiday December 27, 2022 Holiday shopping may have to be put on hold once more as bus and train strikes continue to stall the London transport network. The national Network Rail strike ended this morning at 6am with services set to be disrupted throughout the day, in part due to the ban on overtime working. British businesses have urged [...]
Number of takeovers and mergers halved in 2022 but ‘bargain basement prices’ to turn tide in 2023 December 27, 2022 The number of big takeovers and mergers involving UK-listed companies nearly halved this year as investors were deterred by market volatility, political instability and recession fears. But the tide is set to turn in 2023, with buyers eyeing up quality British companies trading at “bargain prices”, experts said. There were 49 bids for London-listed firms [...]