Ranked: The best and worst UK energy suppliers June 25, 2019 The head of Citizens Advice has called for stricter requirements on energy companies as “far too many” struggle to give their customers good service. Gillian Guy said that a large number of companies are letting their customers down, as the consumer champion released its quarterly rankings. Read more: Complaints surge as more energy customers have [...]
Schroders and Columbia Threadneedle back Coast Capital in First Group dispute June 24, 2019 Activist investor Coast Capital, which is demanding an overhaul of bus and rail operator First Group, has received the backing of two major fund managers. Schroders and Columbia Threadneedle Investments, which own nine per cent and 10 per cent of First respectively, are opposing the re-election of the company’s chairman Wolfhart Hauser at an extraordinary [...]
Victoria station evacuated over ‘faulty’ fire alert: June 24, 2019 A fire alert at Victoria station caused rush hour misery for commuters this morning as authorities evacuated the major London travel hub. Passengers struggled to get to work as the Victoria Line, Circle Line and District Line did not stop at the station after the incident, which took place around 7am. Read more: Londoners brace [...]
Londoners brace for summer Tube strike chaos June 24, 2019 Londoners are braced for misery as the RMT rail union prepares to ballot its members on a summer Tube strike on Wednesday. The RMT claims it is being hurt by staff job cuts and privatisation under Transport for London’s (TfL) cost-cutting programme, which has seen it slash back office costs by about 30 per cent [...]
EDF seeks guarantee for nuclear project June 23, 2019 French energy giant EDF wants a government guarantee of help if a £20bn nuclear power station runs over budget. The firm is telling potential investors in its Sizewell C plant that it wants ministers to step in with a guarantee on the project, the Sunday Times reported. Read more: Government headache as Hitachi pulls out [...]
Activist investor Coast Capital rails against First franchise bid June 23, 2019 An activist investor vying to shake up First Group has warned that it will pull out of a contract to run one of the UK’s leading rail franchises if it succeeds in toppling the firm’s management at a showdown on Tuesday. Coast Capital, which owns a near 10 per cent stake in transport giant First, [...]
Business leaders urge government to commit to HS2 June 22, 2019 Top business groups have penned an open letter urging the next prime minister to commit to delivering HS2 in full. The letter argued full support for the £56bn rail project was vital for the flow of investment not just in the north of England, but across the whole of the UK. Read more: HS2 bulldozes [...]
Households face £172m bill after slew of energy suppliers fail June 21, 2019 The head of Citizens Advice has called on the government to act as households face a £172m bill after 11 suppliers collapsed. Gillian Guy said consumers should not be left to bail out the industry when companies go out of business. Read more: Energy supplier owed £12m to customers when it went out of business [...]
Carnival shares sink after Trump’s Cuba cruise ban hits bookings June 20, 2019 London-listed shares in Carnival Cruises sunk 12 per cent yesterday after the travel company cut its profit forecast due to the Trump administration’s sudden ban on cruises to Cuba. The cruise giant also blamed higher expenses and an expectation of lower ticket prices in the coming months for the downgrade. The second quarter heralded better [...]
Virgin boss urges ‘level playing field’ for airlines at expanded Heathrow June 20, 2019 MPs must launch an inquiry into the allocation of take-off and landing slots at an expanded Heathrow to ensure a “level playing field”, the boss of a leading airline has said. Shai Weiss, the chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, has said the current rules around slot allocation allow IAG, the owner of British Airways, to [...]