Gavin Williamson claims a police investigation into claims he leaked would clear his name May 2, 2019 Disgraced former defence secretary Gavin Williamson has challenged Theresa May to trigger a police investigation into claims he leaked information from a top secret government committee. Williamson, who was dramatically axed from the cabinet on Wednesday, believes May would have to give him the “nicest apology” after a Met inquiry as it would clear him [...]
Activist investor Ed Bramson suffers heavy defeat in battle for seat on Barclays board May 2, 2019 Activist investor Ed Bramson has suffered a heavy defeat in his battle to win a seat on the Barclays board. Shareholders votes came in at 87.2 per cent against his election, as the US-based investor was only able to amass 12.8 per cent of the vote. Aside from his own 5.5 per cent stake, and factoring [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s approval rating goes negative for first time since election May 2, 2019 London mayor Sadiq Khan’s popularity has dropped into negative figures for the first time. Data from a You Gov poll for December showed Khan had a net approval rating of minus one. The poll of 1,000 people, commissioned by City Hall, showed 32 per cent said they were satisfied and 33 per cent dissatisfied. Read [...]
Stagecoach claims pension risks for three spurned rail franchises ‘exceeded £1bn’ May 2, 2019 Stagecoach is engaged in an increasingly bitter battle with the government after it revealed that the pension risks it was being asked to take on for three rail franchises was "well in excess of £1bn". Stagecoach, which runs a partnership with Richard Branson's Virgin Trains, has been at loggerheads with the Department for Transport (DfT) [...]
Ofgem may drop competition probe into electricity spot trader May 2, 2019 Ofgem said it plans to close an investigation into a power exchange company which faced allegations of breaking competition rules. Competitor Nord Pool had been shut out of electricity auctions designed to sell energy across the British and Irish border by rival Epex Spot. Read more: Households get £70m windfall after Ofgem launches automatic compensation Ofgem [...]
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange refuses to accept US extradition May 2, 2019 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has refused to agree to be extradited to the US to face charges of computer intrusion. Read more: Wikileaks founder Assange sentenced to 50 weeks in jail Speaking via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Assange defended his work, saying it had protected “many people”. “I do not wish to surrender [...]
Apollo Global Management scraps partnership status to become a corporation May 2, 2019 Apollo Global Management has announced that it is scrapping its partnership status to become a corporation, following similar moves by private equity rivals Blackstone and KKR. The conversion, which is expected to become effective in the third quarter of this year, will see the investment company paying more corporate tax under a simplified structure, which [...]
More than 150 MPs set to demand Asda backs down over ‘unscrupulous’ staff pay proposals May 2, 2019 More than 150 MPs have added their name to a campaign calling on Asda to drop controversial new pay proposals for its workers, heaping further pressure on the supermarket chain just a week after its planned merger with Sainsbury’s was blocked. Politicians have signed a letter written by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh that accuses Asda of leaving thousands of [...]
Tesla looks to strengthen with $2.3bn fundraising round May 2, 2019 Tesla will look to raise around $2.3bn (£1.76bn) by issuing new shares and debt, with chief executive Elon Musk pitching in $10m of his own cash to buy shares. The electric car maker said this afternoon it has filed with regulators to launch the fundraising, after it lost $700m in the first three months of [...]
Coca-Cola bottler sees strong first quarter growth May 2, 2019 Coca-Cola HBC AG – the world's third-largest bottler of the drink – today announced solid first quarter performance for 2019, as well as a special dividend for investors. Overall sales revenue rose 4.7 per cent to €1.41 bn (£1.21 bn) in the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, [...]