EU happy to give assurances over the backstop, Irish PM Leo Varadkar claims in boost to Theresa May January 8, 2019 The EU is prepared to give fresh guarantees it does want to trap the UK in a backstop arrangement after Brexit, Ireland’s Prime Minister has said. Speaking in Mali, Leo Varadkar made it clear European leaders would be willing to give assurances which could help Theresa May win a parliamentary vote on her deal next [...]
John Lewis enjoys sales boost after strong Christmas performance January 8, 2019 John Lewis has doubled down on a positive festive period after reporting double-figure sales growth over the last week. The department store chain said total sales for the week to 5 January were up 11.2 per cent on the same period last year, thanks to its post-Christmas clearance. The figures were driven by soaring menswear [...]
Government commits to maintaining ‘triple lock’ state pension uprating for UK expats in Europe in the event of no-deal Brexit January 8, 2019 The government has allayed concerns it may stop increasing the state pension in line with inflation for hundreds of thousands of expats retiring to countries in the EU. Currently, UK expats who have retired to the bloc receive the so called triple lock uprating, meaning their state pension rises in line with the highest of [...]
Scottish government acted unlawfully in Alex Salmond sexual harassment claims, court rules January 8, 2019 A court has ruled that the Scottish government acted unlawfully when it investigated sexual harassment claims against former first minister Alex Salmond. Salmond denies the allegations, which date back to 2013 when he was first minister. They were made to the Scottish government a year ago. At the court of session in Edinburgh, Scotland's supreme [...]
US legal business Elevate acquires UK new law company Halebury as it targets London float January 8, 2019 US legal business Elevate has today announced it has acquired UK new law business Halebury as it continues expansion ahead of a possible London float. Elevate, which has been backed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, brands itself as a “law company” and provides services to in-house legal departments at companies such as Oracle and Facebook. [...]
HSBC slammed over controversial ‘anti-Brexit’ ad campaign January 8, 2019 HSBC is facing criticism over an advertising campaign stating the UK is “not an island” amid complaints it is anti-Brexit. The bank’s new campaign, launched last week, highlights the influence of other cultures on life in the UK. The posters and accompanying video celebrate Britons’ penchant for foreign imports, such as Columbian coffee, American films [...]
Wework launches a shoppable London office pop-up store, designed by influencers January 8, 2019 Shared workspace tech giant Wework has today launched a pop-up office in Holborn that is completely shoppable, and is designed with influencers in mind. Open throughout January, the pop-up is filled with office decor from brands such as Urban Outfitters which can be bought via the Liketoknow.it app. Londoners can sign up online to grab [...]
Sadiq Khan refuses to rule out another fares freeze if he is re-elected as mayor in 2020 January 8, 2019 Sadiq Khan has refused to rule out freezing fares if he wins a second term as London mayor in next year's election. Khan was asked by the London Assembly transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon whether he would look at freezing fares again if he was re-elected as mayor. Khan replied: "You'll have to watch this space. [...]
Building materials group SIG impacted by ‘challenging’ construction market January 8, 2019 Building materials group SIG’s shares dropped seven per cent this morning as warned a “challenging” construction market had chipped away at its performance. The FTSE 250 company, which provides roofing, cladding and insulation materials for construction projects across Europe, reported a drop in revenues of 4.7 per cent for the second half of 2018. The [...]
Joules records strong Christmas trading thanks to online sales surge January 8, 2019 Fashion retailer Joules today reported a double-figure sales rise over the Christmas period as online success crushed retail fears. Joules said like-for-like sales rose 11.7 per cent in the seven weeks to 6 January compared to the same period the year before. The company said the strong festive performance was driven by online trading, which [...]