BT warns of outages if UK bans Huawei too fast July 13, 2020 BT chief Philip Jansen today issued a warning to the government that removing Huawei from the UK’s telecoms network too soon could case mass service outages across the country. A decision is due this week from Number 10 on whether to impose tougher restrictions on China’s Huawei, after intense pressure from the US to ban [...]
‘Limited time’ left for details of post-Brexit regional funding schemes, says IFS July 13, 2020 The European regional development funding schemes will soon wind down but the government is yet to confirm details of its proposed replacement. With less than six months until the UK leaves the EU, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has called on the government to reveal its intentions for the Shared Prosperity Fund. A new [...]
Rishi Sunak eyes post-Brexit tax cuts for UK ‘freeports’ July 12, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak will reportedly look to slash taxes and red tape to a cluster of cities and towns next year to provide a post-Brexit economic boom for Britain. The Sunday Telegraph reports that Sunak is drawing up plans to create 10 “freeports” in towns and cities across the UK where they will see sweeping [...]
WHO warns coronavirus is accelerating as cases pass 12m July 10, 2020 Coronavirus is not under control across the majority of the world, and is actually getting worse, according to the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He said the total number of cases of coronavirus worldwide has actually doubled in the last six weeks, adding that the spread of Covid-19 isn’t [...]
The Friday Interview: Chris D’Sylva and the Supermarket of Dreams July 10, 2020 Every Friday, City A.M. Deputy Editor Andy Silvester interviews somebody making waves in the finer things in life: food and drink. This week he sits down with Chris D’Sylva amidst the stacked shelves of the “Supermarket of Dreams,” which opened amidst lockdown in the first week of June Nestled amongst the somewhat staid independent shops [...]
Proportion of contacts reached by track and trace falls again July 9, 2020 The proportion of contacts reached by England’s track and trace system fell again in its fifth week of operation, according to new figures. The Department of Health said 4,347 people had their cases transferred to the system between 25 June and 1 July. There were 14,892 people identified as close contacts, and 70.8 per cent [...]
World’s best bars unite for fundraising auction July 9, 2020 A collection of the world’s best bars have clubbed together to deliver a fundraising auction which they hope will give the hospitality industry a much-needed boost. The auction, with prizes donated by members of the World’s 50 Best Bars list and a host of food and drink businesses, includes three nights bar-hopping with New York’s [...]
Housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry report growing customer demand post-lockdown July 9, 2020 UK housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry this morning reported a boost in customer demand since reopening sales offices after months at a standstill during the coronavirus lockdown. Persimmon said demand was “positive”, with reservations up 30 per cent year on year. The FTSE 100 firm’s share price jumped more than six per cent following the announcement. [...]
Liz Truss says UK’s Brexit border plans at risk of WTO legal challenge and smuggling July 9, 2020 Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit border plans risk breaking international trading rules and could result in smuggling from the EU, according to international trade secretary Liz Truss. Truss wrote a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove on Wednesday warning that the UK’s current plans put the country at risk of several political [...]