Unilever is exploring a £6bn sale of spreads brands such as Flora and Stork after Kraft Heinz deal collapse March 19, 2017 Unilever is exploring the sale of some of its most iconic brands after coming under shareholder pressure over a $143bn takeover bid from Kraft Heinz. Paul Polman, the FTSE 100 firm’s chief executive, is drawing up cost-cutting and restructuring plans, which could lead to the sale of its margarine and spreads business. The division, comprising [...]
Apple’s British design chief Jonny Ive invests in tech accessory startup that counts Victoria Beckham and Beyonce among customers March 19, 2017 A London-based phone case startup, that counts Victoria Beckham and Beyonce as customers, has attracted investment from Apple's British design chief Sir Jonathan Ive. Chaos, a fashion consultancy run by Charlotte Stockdale and Katie Lyall, has launched a tech accessory division which includes products like a £185 personalised initial case and a £170 phone cover that has [...]
Theresa May is taking business support for granted says Tim Farron March 19, 2017 Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has accused Prime Minister Theresa May of taking her party's support from the business community "for granted", and issued a stark warning to Conservative MPs to "defect or resign". Speaking at the Lib Dem's spring conference in York, Farron said that May had "hung out to dry her own backers in British [...]
Nicola Sturgeon says that Single Market membership is “the minimum” for Scotland March 19, 2017 Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to secure Scotland's membership in Europe's Single Market after last week declaring she would seek a referendum on independence. Last Monday, Sturgeon announced she would call on MSPs to back a motion demanding a vote on remaining within the UK by Spring 2019. Downing Street has already slapped down the [...]
Are you living in the best place in Britain? Bristol named top by Sunday Times, while Peckham best in London March 19, 2017 Peckham has been named the best place to live in London, going from a "no-go" area to "hipster heaven". The south London area's improvement was credited partly to its abundance of grime DJs, in this year's Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Other up and coming areas highlighted in the index include Canonbury, Walthamstow – [...]
George Osborne’s new job as Evening Standard editor will be scrutinised by parliament watchdog the Committee on Standards in Public Life March 19, 2017 George Osborne's surprise new job as editor of London newspaper the Evening Standard will be scrutinised by MPs. The Committee on Standards in Public Life, the watchdog which holds those in public life to account, will officially review the appointment in light of the former chancellor remaining an MP for Tatton, the Sunday Times reports. Read more: [...]
Ranked: Average rent prices of the world’s top financial cities spanning London to Hong Kong to Frankfurt March 18, 2017 The capital's renters who work in the City may not be getting a raw deal when it comes to rent – at least not when London’s stacked up against the globe’s other top financial cities. London is the leading financial hub based on the latest rankings in the Global Financial Centres Index by the Z/Yen Group. That considers elements [...]
G20 finance ministers ditch anti-protectionist pledge and climate change commitment March 18, 2017 Finance ministers from the world's biggest economies have ditched an anti-protectionist commitment following opposition from the US. The annual G20 meeting of the 20 financial leaders closed without a set agreement on free trade after the US rejected past commitments regarding the open flow of goods. The leaders noted the importance of trade to the global economy, [...]
President Donald Trump says Germany “owes vast sums” to Nato after saying he had a “great meeting” with Angela Merkel March 18, 2017 President Donald Trump has said Germany "owes vast sums of money" to Nato and should also pay the US more for defending it. He made the remarks on Twitter, saying he had a "great meeting" with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday. A video of the meeting showed him appearing to deny Merkel a handshake during a [...]
From Singapore to London: Here are the cities with the best infrastructure in the world March 18, 2017 It's official: London's not quite at the top when it comes to cities with the best infrastructure. In fact, it's not in the top three globally. First place goes to Singapore, followed by Frankfurt and Munich in joint second, Copenhagen in fourth and Dusseldorf in fifth. The capital does though, rank fairly highly, coming joint sixth with [...]