Britain must ‘enhance lethality’ amid growing cyber threat, says defence secretary February 11, 2019 Defence secretary Gavin Williamson will this morning crank up his military rhetoric, saying Britain cannot be seen as a “paper tiger” and must be ready to take action against countries that “flout international law”. The more aggressive tone, which comes ahead of the UK striking out on its own outside the European Union, will be [...]
Paintball, Power Point and trust exercises: How to survive your next team away day February 11, 2019 In 1305, having executed William Wallace in London, Edward Longshanks had to plan how he would run Scotland from afar. Rather than do this from the capital, he took his court to Sheen Palace in Surrey to receive the Scottish commissioners, thus in effect instituting the first strategy away day. And it’s that time of [...]
Real household disposable income £1500 a year lower than pre-referendum forecast February 11, 2019 UK household incomes are around £1500 lower than they were expected to be before the Brexit referendum, new analysis shows. The UK has seen the sharpest income growth slowdown of any economy covered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, while global growth has outperformed pre-Brexit vote expectations, according to data published this morning [...]
Immigration proposals will cost employers more than £1bn in red tape February 11, 2019 The government’s new immigration proposals could cost employers more than £1bn by 2025 due to red tape, a report has found. Under the plans thousands of European workers will be required to secure a sponsored visa from their employers, creating a “bureaucratic headache” for businesses, according to analysis of the government’s Immigration White Paper by [...]
Betting big: Bingo giant Stride Gaming goes up for sale February 11, 2019 Leading online bingo operator Stride Gaming’s share price jumped eight per cent in morning trading after confirming reports that it is weighing up a potential sale of the company. The gambling firm, which owns brands such as Kitty Bingo and Lucky Pants Bingo, said today that it was mulling a sale as one strategic option, [...]
US officials head to Beijing to resume trade talks as deadline for tariff war looms February 11, 2019 Asian markets finished with mixed results this morning while the FTSE 100 had an early rise, as investors looked forward to the reopening of trade talks between the US and China this week. A delegation of US officials, including Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, head to Beijing today for the next round of negotiations, but investors’ [...]
Euronext improves offer for Oslo Bors exchange as it tries to beat out Nasdaq February 11, 2019 Pan-European stock market operator Euronext raised its offer for Norwegian counterpart Oslo Bors today, as it doubles down in a bidding war against rival Nasdaq. Boosting its per-share takeover offer from 145 Norwegian kroner to 158 Norwegian kroner (1,295p to 1,411p per share), Euronext has given Oslo Bors until 11 March to make a decision. [...]
Chancellor needs to find extra billions to end austerity February 11, 2019 The chancellor Philip Hammond will have to find billions of pounds to prop up public spending to deliver on promises of ending austerity. According to a report from think tank the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), over the four years from 2019-20 to 2023-24, Hammond would need to find a further £2.2bn to avoid cuts [...]
Iceland mulls bid for potential Sainsbury’s-Asda store sell-offs February 11, 2019 Frozen foods giant Iceland is mulling a move to snap up supermarket stores that Sainsbury’s and Asda could be forced to offload as part of their proposed tie-up. "We are looking at everything for sure," Iceland's managing director Richard Walker told the FT. "Food retail drives footfall and we are the only supermarket that is [...]
Record stockpiling not enough to hide manufacturing slump as cliff-edge Brexit fears heighten February 11, 2019 Output in the manufacturing sector has plunged to its lowest point since October 2017 despite firms ramping up preparations for a no-deal Brexit, according to an industry barometer. BDO’s manufacturing index fell 0.23 points from December to a score of 98.37 in January, its lowest level in 15 months. Read more: UK car industry on [...]