Private sector pay set for growth as skills shortage bites February 18, 2019 Private sector pay is set to increase 2.5 per cent as skills shortages put pressure on employers. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Adecco Group of pay and recruitment intentions at 1,254 employers in the first quarter of 2019 showed basic pay expectations in the private sector have increased [...]
UK house prices’ affordability improves at fastest rate for eight years as wage growth outpaces prices February 18, 2019 Prospective house buyers could be set for a change in fortunes as affordability improves at its fastest rate in eight years, new data has revealed. With annual house price growth at just 0.2 per cent, the annual wage increase of 3.4 per cent is outpacing asking prices at the fastest rate since 2011, according to figures [...]
Proportion of foreign buyers snapping up central London homes hits six-year high February 18, 2019 The proportion of homes in prime central London bought by international buyers hit its highest level in six years in 2018 as foreign buyers cash in on a drop in the pound. Fifty-seven per cent of homes bought in the capital’s most sought-after postcodes in the second half of 2018 were snapped up by an [...]
Security services set to conclude UK can mitigate Huawei 5G risks February 17, 2019 The UK’s security services have concluded the country can mitigate the risks of using Huawei equipment in its 5G network, the Financial Times reported, citing sources close to the discussions. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is currently carrying out its annual review of the Chinese firm’s technology, has determined it is able to [...]
Labour moderates are approaching breaking point February 17, 2019 Michael Dugher has been a member of the Labour party for 28 years and was a Labour MP from 2010-2017. Before entering parliament he worked in Downing Street for Gordon Brown. This week, he is resigning from the party – citing Jeremy Corbyn's failure to deal with anti-Semitism. Dugher says “the Labour party I joined [...]
Funds bet against Npowerless SSE as systems upgrade looks set to cost dearly February 17, 2019 Hedge funds have started to bet heavily against SSE as the energy firm faces potentially huge upgrade bills after its merger with Npower fell through. London-based Marshall Wace and US Worldquant have taken out a combined £171m so-called short position. The funds have borrowed and then sold shares in SSE, hoping to buy them back cheaper [...]
EU vehicles pose no threat to US, carmakers say as Trump mulls huge tariffs February 17, 2019 European cars do not pose a threat to US national security, one of Germany’s biggest car lobbies said today as the White House considers slapping new tariffs on imports. Lobby group the VDA said that the US benefits from German carmakers. US President Donald Trump was today given a Commerce Department report into whether imported cars and parts [...]
Regional airline Loganair takes on cancelled Flybmi routes from Aberdeen February 17, 2019 Regional airline Flybmi’s collapse has forced Scottish former rival Loganair to step in on three routes it operated from Aberdeen. Loganair is to run flights from Aberdeen to Bristol, Oslo and Esbjerg, in Denmark, from 4 March. Read more: Growth will slow at Norwegian Air as profits in focus It will also run flights from [...]
Theresa May issues last-minute Brexit plea to Tory MPs ahead of Brussels visit February 17, 2019 Theresa May has appealed to her warring MPs to set aside their "personal differences" on Brexit and unite behind her deal, as she faces another strained week of negotiations with Brussels. The PM wrote all Conservative MPs urging them to "move beyond what divides us" and warning that "history will judge us". May's latest plea [...]
Darktrace risks being dragged into US probe into billionaire Mike Lynch February 17, 2019 UK cybersecurity darling Darktrace is at risk of being pulled into the US fraud case against tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his former Autonomy colleague Sushovan Hussain. US court documents show that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents held a voluntary interview with Darktrace’s co-chief executive Nicole Eagan, as first reported by the Sunday Telegraph. Read [...]