Italian senate signs off on 2017 budget, clearing the way for PM Renzi to resign December 7, 2016 Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will hand in his resignation today at 6pm London time, it has been reported, after the country's parliament approved Italy's 2017 budget. Renzi was earlier in the week asked to stay on until after the budget was passed by Italy's president Sergio Mattarella. The 41-year-old Italian premier promised to quit [...]
Ikea’s global profit is up 20 per cent for 2016 with growth in China December 7, 2016 Swedish furniture retailer Ikea Group reported global profit rose 20 per cent following its fifth year of sales growth in the UK last month and rapid growth in China. The figures Total sales for the financial year reached €34.2bn (£29.1bn), up 7.1 per cent from last year, and sales grew in 27 out of 28 markets. China was one of [...]
Theresa May’s Brexit plan must include Single Market objectives, say Labour December 7, 2016 Labour is laying out the characteristics of a Brexit plan in the House of Commons, calling on the government to reveal its hopes for Single Market status. MPs are debating a motion in parliament today calling on the government to reveal its plans for negotiations with the EU, and the government has lent its support [...]
A major Apple supplier has US investment plans hot on the heels of SoftBank December 7, 2016 Foxconn, a major supplier of parts for Apple's iPhones, is following the lead of Softbank and is considering plans to invest in the US. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that SoftBank, the Japanese company which snapped up UK tech firm Arm in a £24bn deal over the summer, will plough $50bn into the country and create 50,000 new jobs. [...]
London Assembly calls on Grayling to reconsider Transport for London’s proposals to take over Southeastern December 7, 2016 The London Assembly has passed an urgent motion calling on the transport secretary to reconsider his decision not to devolve franchise management to Transport for London (TfL). Leader of the Labour group on the London Assembly, Len Duvall, who proposed the motion, said the issue was "far too important" to be used for party political purposes. Duvall said [...]
Investment in Legal & General’s build to rent fund hits £1bn December 7, 2016 Legal & General's build to rent (BTR) fund has attracted £170m in investment, bringing its total value to £1bn. Major institutions have now invested in the open-ended fund, according to Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIM Real Assets). The investors were not disclosed. Read more: Revealed: the luxury London properties with price cuts of [...]
Donald Trump has beaten Nigel Farage to be named Time magazine’s Person of the Year December 7, 2016 Donald Trump has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year -the person deemed to have "most influenced the year’s news, for better or worse". The US President-elect snatched the top spot ahead of his buddy from this side of the pond, Nigel Farage, who also made the shortlist this year, for having "[positioned] the referendum [...]
Challenged becomes the challenger: An established asset lender just got a banking licence from the FCA December 7, 2016 Regulators today gave Aim-quoted lender Private & Commercial the green light to operate as a fully-fledged challenger. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) approved Private & Commercial's application for a banking licence, meaning it can open its doors to taking cash deposits. Read more: Digital challenger bank N26 has pulled back from its UK launch plans [...]
Kew Gardens beats the Tower of London and the London Eye as the city’s top attraction December 7, 2016 Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben – these might be the first London landmarks tourists want to visit, but expectations were smashed this year as The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew won the top spot as London's best attraction for 2016. More than 23,000 public votes were cast and a panel of industry experts weighed in on top attractions [...]
Three contractors on Crossrail project are to be prosecuted over the death of a worker December 7, 2016 Three contractors on the Crossrail project are to be prosecuted over the death of a worker and injuries to two others, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced. BAM Nuttall Limited, Ferrovial Agroman and Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd will be prosecuted in relation to three incidents that took place during the construction of the new [...]