Liz Truss: UK faces choice between embracing Brexit opportunities or ‘staying in our comfort zone’ September 14, 2021 Spending nearly 50 years in the European Union has made some businesses and government employees “defensive” about trade, the International Trade Secretary said this afternoon. In a speech earlier today, Liz Truss set out how the UK’s post-Brexit trade strategy will be increasingly about attempting to secure business with eastern growth markets in India and [...]
Javid hints PCR tests for travel to be scrapped September 14, 2021 The health secretary has all but confirmed that the government will axe day two PCR tests for people returning from overseas in the upcoming review of its travel rules. In answer to a question from transport select committee chair Huw Merriman as to whether PCR tests could be replaced by lateral flow tests, Sajid Javid [...]
London Luton summer passenger numbers down two-thirds on 2019 September 14, 2021 Just 1.2m passengers used London Luton airport over the summer months, a fall of two-thirds compared to pre-pandemic levels. As a result of the UK’s ever-changing travel restrictions, the airport said that this was 4.0 per cent than the number in 2020. It called on the government to give the sector more support in order [...]
Easyjet sent into freefall: Shares continue to tumble September 14, 2021 Shares in budget flier Easyjet continued to tumble today after UBS said on Friday that the carrier would likely lag behind rivals in its recovery from the pandemic. Having tumbled 13.4 per cent yesterday, shares were down another 0.7 per cent this morning. Since Wednesday, when the carrier announced a £1.2bn rights issue, shares are [...]
Trainline ticket sales top £1bn as rail recovery gathers steam September 14, 2021 Trainline’s ticket sales topped £1bn for the first half of this year for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as rail travel picked up sharply. Ticket sales jumped 179 per cent in the period ending August 2021 compared to 12 months ago, when much of the rail network sat idle due [...]
Aston Martin owner Stroll to invest £200m in new HQ for F1 team September 14, 2021 Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll will put up to £200m into a new manufacturing headquarters for the marque’s Formula 1 team. In an interview with the FT, the Canadian billionaire said he was aiming to increase the team’s valuation to £1bn over the next five years. The 37,000 square metre campus is located near British [...]
Exclusive: UK customs duties shoot up by 42 per cent to record £2.2bn since Brexit September 14, 2021 UK businesses and consumers have paid 42 per cent more in customs duties on goods since Brexit came into force on 1 January of this year, according to new data shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The jump to £2.2billion in customs duties – paid in the year from 1 January to July 31 of [...]
First Group shares up as bus firm confirms £500m payout September 13, 2021 Shares in transport operator First Group rose 4.0 per cent this morning as the firm confirmed it would return £500m to shareholders through a tender process. In a statement ahead of today’s AGM, the FTSE 250 firm said that it was trading in line with expectations for the year so far. It said that bus [...]
Getlink to launch new cross-Channel rail freight service September 13, 2021 Getlink has today announced that it will launch a new rail service which will allow freight to cross the Channel totally unaccompanied. The firm, which manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, will open the new service on 18 September. The new service, which will operate six days a [...]
Heathrow now 10th busiest European airport as passenger slump goes on September 13, 2021 Heathrow Airport has this morning urged ministers to streamline the UK’s travel restrictions as it revealed it had fallen to 10th on the list of Europe’s busiest airports. It said that passenger numbers at the airport last month were down 71 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. It blamed the ongoing slump on “ever-changing restrictions, expensive [...]