Tullow Oil swings axe at workforce after massive 2019 loss March 12, 2020 Low cost oil exploration company Tullow has warned it will cut over a third of its workforce as it reported a pre-tax loss for 2019 and warned of “material uncertainty” over its future. Tullow Oil unveiled a $1.7bn pre-tax loss in 2019, down from an $85m profit in 2018. And volatility in the world oil [...]
Barclays Canary Wharf worker tests positive for coronavirus March 11, 2020 A worker in Barclays Canary Wharf offices has tested positive for coronavirus, the bank confirmed today. In a statement, Barclays said: “We can confirm that a member of our staff based in our London office, five North Colonnade, has tested as positive for covid-19 today. The health and safety of our staff, customers and clients [...]
Balfour Beatty confirms delay to £200m share buyback due to coronavirus March 11, 2020 Shares in construction giant Balfour Beatty jumped today, despite confirmation it has scrapped a £200m share buyback. The confirmation comes after Sky News first reported the plan yesterday. Balfour Beatty posted a net profit, although it slipped from £135m in 2018 to £133m in 2019, a drop of 1.4 per cent. This was on the [...]
BUDGET 2020: Mixed news for energy duties in budget March 11, 2020 The chancellor has announced a freeze in electricity duty but from April 2022, gas duty will increase. The government is under pressure to reduce the country’s carbon emissions and raise money for public spending. “So as another step towards equalising the rates and encouraging energy efficiency, from April 2022 I’m freezing the levy on electricity [...]
Chancellor Rishi Sunak extends sick pay amid coronavirus fears March 11, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced that sick pay measures will be extended to anyone advised to self-isolate due to coronavirus. In his Budget speech this afternoon, Sunak said anyone in isolation will be able to get a sick note by calling 111, while payments will be made from day one rather than day four. The [...]
Michael Gove: Coronavirus might derail Brexit trade talks with EU March 11, 2020 Michael Gove has admitted coronavirus could derail the next round of trade talks with the EU amid “specific public health concerns”. Asked what impact the outbreak of the disease, which has led to the whole of Italy being put into lockdown, would have on the Brexit talks, the Cabinet Office minister told MPs it was [...]
UK coronavirus: Seventh Brit dies as European cases surge March 11, 2020 A 53-year-old woman has become the seventh Brit to die after contracting coronavirus, the Foreign Office confirmed this morning. The woman died in Bali, according to Indonesia’s health ministry, marking the first death in the country linked to coronavirus. A spokesperson for the Indonesian government said the patient was already “critically ill” when she was [...]
Hugo Boss’ name might suffer, but the brand will survive March 11, 2020 Luxury fashion label Hugo Boss made headlines earlier this month when comedian Joe Lycett legally changed his name to… Hugo Boss. The move was in reaction to a small independent brewery contacting his consumer rights show Got Your Back to complain that they’d been forced to spend thousands in legal fees and rebranding from Boss [...]
Bank of England could penalise banks for polluting assets March 10, 2020 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said Threadneedle Street is weighing up penalties for banks that hold assets that encourage polluting. Carney told parliament’s Treasury Committee in a letter that the Bank is considering a “brown penalising factor”, which he said would introduce tougher capital requirements for banks whose investments encourage “polluting and potentially [...]
Oil rebounds after Black Monday price crash March 10, 2020 Oil prices have shown some signs of recovery today after yesterday’s rout which led to such dramatic global stock market falls it was dubbed Black Monday. Brent Crude oil is currently trading at $36 a barrel, an eight per cent increase on yesterday. At the end of February, it was $51 a barrel. “Oil prices [...]