UK house price growth recovers from five-year low in November, Nationwide figures show November 30, 2018 UK house prices grew by an average of 1.9 per cent in November, up 0.3 per cent month on month to recover from a five-year low in October, Nationwide announced this morning. The figure is expected to improve if economic and political uncertainty surrounding Brexit lifts over the coming months and employment continues to rise, the [...]
Rail fares will rise by 3.1 per cent in January despite timetable chaos hurting commuters November 30, 2018 Rail fares will rise by an average of 3.1 per cent in the new year, according to the Rail Delivery Group, hitting millions of commuters’ wallets. The increase means many passengers will pay around £100 more for their season tickets, despite a year in which travellers have suffered strikes, delays and timetable chaos on many [...]
Editor’s Notes: Check back in with the forecasters in 2033 November 30, 2018 The Treasury’s Brexit scenarios, released this week, boiled down to a claim – made with pinpoint accuracy – that the Prime Minister’s deal will leave the UK economy 3.9 per cent smaller in 15 years, compared with staying in the EU. In other news, PwC estimates that artificial intelligence will increase UK GDP by 10.3 [...]
Kleinman: Brutal winter could ground Flybe despite buyer interest, Truell’s trump card and wheel turns for auditors November 30, 2018 If only achieving take-off for Flybe’s profits was as easy as it seems to be for its share price. Not content with a 70 per cent uplift after I reported that Virgin Atlantic was in talks to buy the regional airline, the stock soared again on Monday as investors boarded on hopes of a bidding war [...]
BCA marketplace reports higher profits despite tougher emissions standards November 29, 2018 WeBuyAnyCar’s parent firm BCA Marketplace reported a 31 per cent year-on-year rise in first half profit today, despite fears that tougher emissions standard would restrict the future supply of new vehicles. The company recorded pre-tax profit of £45.7m for the six months to the end of September, rising from £34.9m in the same period last [...]
Polman bows out of Unilever with a rich legacy, but a tarnished reputation November 29, 2018 When Paul Polman announced his plan to quit as boss of Unilever last autumn, he had plenty of reasons to think he would be leaving the consumer goods giant on a high: he had fought off a £115bn takeover attempt from Kraft Heinz earlier in the year and forged a reputation as a champion of [...]
Big ambitions and grand challenges: How the industrial strategy fares one year on November 29, 2018 It’s now a year since the industrial strategy was launched. Encompassing a 255-page tome, it laid five foundations for productivity: ideas, people, infrastructure, places and the business environment. It promised waves of sector deals between government and industry to de-risk investment and improve workers’ skills. Six such deals were announced in the first year, from automotive [...]
Angry Beefeaters: Historic Royal Palaces staff may take to the picket lines after losing pension scheme November 29, 2018 Beefeaters from the Tower of London will vote tomorrow on whether to strike for the first time in more than 50 years in a row over pension cuts. The iconic guards, as well as Jewel House Wardens and other employees of Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) are set to lose their defined benefit pension schemes, and [...]
Trump lawyer admits lying to Congress over president’s Russian affairs November 29, 2018 The former lawyer of US President Donald Trump has admitted he lied to Congress amid an investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election. Michael Cohen, who served as then-businessman Trump’s personal lawyer for several years, pleaded guilty following charges filed by special counsel Robert Mueller last night. Cohen said that he had included false [...]
Germany steps in to give UK financial services timely Brexit boost November 29, 2018 UK financial services firms could be allowed to keep operating in Germany following a no-deal Brexit after the German Treasury took matters into its own hands amid growing uncertainty. Draft law changes proposed last week could allow UK-based firms providing cross-border financial services to continue to operate in Germany until the end of 2020. The [...]