If nothing else, Brexit has taught us how mediocre our politicians are March 28, 2019 Earlier this year, the BBC Parliament channel briefly became more popular than MTV. Perhaps not quite able to believe how on earth this was all going so badly, a few hundred thousand people tuned in to see what was happening on the green benches for themselves. What they witnessed would have clarified things. Posturing, grand-standing, [...]
Dignity welcomes watchdog’s probe into high funeral prices March 28, 2019 Dignity has welcomed a competition probe into the funeral sector announced today. Read more: Dignity shares slide after regulator proposes funeral competition probe The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will carry out a full market investigation into the industry after voicing concerns over high prices and a lack of competition. Dignity, the UK’s [...]
Topshop owner Philip Green makes list of stores he wants to abandon March 28, 2019 Embattled retail boss Sir Philip Green is reportedly looking to sever his ties with as many as 67 Arcadia stores in a bid to save the troubled fashion firm. According to reports in today’s FT, a swathe of high street and shopping centre stores under Green’s Arcadia group – which includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins [...]
Whitehall must overhaul public sector outsourcing in wake of failures, says think tank March 28, 2019 The government should rethink the way it outsources public services, but banning the practice would be “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” according to research. In a report, Reform think tank has called for more training for civil servants who hand out public contracts to the private sector in the wake of a raft [...]
May lost her chance at leadership long ago March 28, 2019 Just a few days ago, allies of the Prime Minister were talking about her desire to focus on the domestic policy agenda once a Brexit withdrawal deal was agreed by parliament. Nobody hearing such a claim could take it seriously, but it represented the last desperate effort to cling to a vision of the future [...]
City Moves for 28 March – who’s switching jobs at Knight Frank, Clifford Chance and Newgate? March 28, 2019 Who’s on the move today? Knight Frank Knight Frank has bolstered its commercial research team with the appointment of Victoria Ormond as partner. She will lead the capital markets research team, working alongside the global capital markets teams to produce insight, commentary and analysis. With 15 years’ experience in commercial real estate, Victoria joins from [...]
Car manufacturing ‘paralysed’ by no-deal Brexit threat as output drops for ninth straight month March 28, 2019 British car manufacturing suffered its ninth consecutive month of decline in February, as the industry continues to suffer from Brexit uncertainty and plummeting demand in China. Car makers produced 123,203 vehicles last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a drop of 15.3 per cent on the same period last year. [...]
UK business body chief to attack politicians over ‘dereliction of duty’ March 28, 2019 The director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) will today warn the UK’s political leaders that Britain leaving the European Union without a deal would be “a flagrant dereliction of duty”. Adam Marshall will use his keynote speech at today’s BCC Annual Conference in Westminster to express a deep frustration with the UK’s [...]
Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey pledges ‘aggressive’ action against absentee landlords March 28, 2019 Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey has said he will crack down on London's empty "ghost homes" if he replaces Sadiq Khan as the capital's mayor. Bailey has pledged to give more money to councils to levy empty dwelling management orders, which give them legal powers to take over unoccupied properties to use as housing. A review by housing [...]
TSB needs three-year turnaround before potential sale, Sabadell says March 27, 2019 Challenger bank TSB could be sold but must undergo a turnaround and cut costs first, its Spanish owner Banco Sabadell has said. Sabadell chairman Josep Oliu said TSB needed three years to get back on track but that a merger or a sale were options. Read more: TSB falls to £105m loss after IT disaster [...]