The CBI aims to drive UK manufacturing to fresh highs as it sets up new council with Ineos director Tom Crotty at the helm August 14, 2017 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is setting up a manufacturing council in an effort to support the industry. The chief executive-level council will bring together dozens of the UK’s top manufacturers, and will be headed by chemical giant Ineos’ group director Tom Crotty. Crotty said: “A vibrant manufacturing sector is essential to the growth [...]
Big Ben will fall silent from next week until 2021 August 14, 2017 Big Ben’s bongs are being banished for four years as the world’s most iconic clock undergoes vital maintenance. The clock will sound for the last time next Monday before being silenced until 2021, as the Elizabeth Tower, which houses the clock, undergoes renovation work. A parliamentary spokesperson said it was necessary to silence the Great [...]
The NHS is world class – if you ignore its woeful outcomes August 14, 2017 When he described the National Health Service as a religion, Margaret Thatcher’s chancellor Nigel Lawson highlighted a peculiarly irrational aspect of British culture which persists to this day. The widespread fiction that Britain’s healthcare system is somehow uniquely benevolent or successful is in no way helped by selective studies claiming otherwise. The Commonwealth Fund health [...]
Legal & General eyes £10bn Prudential annuity back-book as part of sector dominance push August 13, 2017 Legal & General is ready to pounce on Prudential’s £10bn annuity business, as the FTSE 100 insurer splashes the cash on pension back-books. On Thursday, Prudential announced plans to merge its UK fund management and life insurance arms, forming M&G Prudential. The announcement came as part of yet another quarter of double-digit growth in Prudential’s [...]
Brexit: David Miliband praises chancellor Philip Hammond as he calls for second vote on any deal via referendum or Parliament August 13, 2017 The almost Labour leader and ex-foreign secretary David Miliband has offered reluctant support to the chancellor Philip Hammond over his push for a transition period after Brexit and called for a second vote. “I never thought I would say this, but the chancellor, Philip Hammond, is also playing a valiant role. The transition he supports [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management shares suspended as merger with Standard Life clears final hurdle August 11, 2017 A merger between Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management has been given the green light by the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Abderdeen’s shares on the London Stock Exchange were suspended as of 5pm today. Standard Life became the FTSE 100’s biggest faller, closing down 3.75 per cent. The merger is now all set to [...]
Scouting Silicon Valley: Premier League clubs are on the hunt for digital experts to bolster the boardroom August 11, 2017 Every transfer window brings with it an arms race between Premier League clubs for the world’s top talent, yet this summer teams have been scouting the geniuses of Silicon Valley alongside the goalscorers of La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. Top European football clubs are increasingly searching for boardroom additions who are equipped to [...]
City of London’s top EU envoy slams “bewildering” Brussels approach to negotiations: The colourful European dispatches of Jeremy Browne revealed August 10, 2017 The City of London’s top Brexit envoy has slammed Brussels’ approach to negotiating with the UK as “bewildering” and “reckless”. Documents seen by City A.M. show former Lib Dem Home Office minister Jeremy Browne, the City of London Corporation’s special representative to the EU, is also fearful that the bloc is “affronted by the idea [...]
UK house prices: London and the south east housing market slowdown drags down the UK average August 10, 2017 A slowdown in the London and the south east housing market has pulled down the UK average, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). A net balance of just one per cent of surveyors reported prices increasing instead of decreasing in July, down from seven per cent in June. This was the weakest [...]
Coca-Cola HBC shares soar as growth accelerates August 10, 2017 Shares in FTSE 100 firm Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) were up nearly eight per cent today after the company revealed an acceleration in revenue growth during the second quarter. CCH is a leading bottler of drinks giant Coca-Cola, having first been awarded the contract nearly 50 years ago. Read more: Eight Davids, seven Steves, six women: [...]