Sadiq Khan has recruited Margaret Hodge to lead a new Garden Bridge procurement probe, but London Assembly members are questioning the plan September 22, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has recruited the former chair of parliament's public spending watchdog to lead an inquiry into the Garden Bridge project. Margaret Hodge will review whether taxpayers have got value for money from the £185m footbridge, which is being being supported by £60m of public money from Westminster and Transport for London. Among [...]
Tips from business, suppliers and buyers on getting your product noticed September 22, 2016 If there's one thing we’ve learned since Brexit, it’s that the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) always have big ambitions. No one ever said it was easy. Some of Britain’s largest and most influential businesses started out with nothing but an idea. Often, the most successful had very little initial investment, but made up [...]
The City is mobilising itself for Brexit talks to safeguard the future of the capital September 22, 2016 One of the more memorable lines from the referendum campaign came courtesy of Leave campaigner Michael Gove. In front of a live audience, Faisal Islam of Sky News reeled off a list of experts who had made dire economic predictions regarding the implications of a vote to Leave. “The IMF, the IFS, the CBI… why [...]
City Moves for 22 September | Who’s switching jobs September 22, 2016 Societe Generale Societe Generale has appointed Carlos Goncalves as head of global technology services. He replaces Bertrand Lemarignier who will take up a new position within the group. Carlos started his career in the research and development team of Portugal Telecom before joining Societe Generale in 1993 as part of the IT department. Carlos was initially in [...]
City Leavers and Remainers must now unite to ensure the best Brexit deal for UK business September 22, 2016 There is no doubt that the referendum aroused strong feelings and caused division across the UK – and it continues to do so. However, the electorate has delivered a clear mandate to the UK government for the UK to leave the EU. For its part, the government has made it clear it intends to give [...]
Business has a responsibility to ensure a generation is not lost. It’s time to make real investments September 22, 2016 At the UN General Assembly this week, Syria and the plight of its refugee citizens are top of the agenda. In the face of challenges that will be felt for years to come, what kind of future should the rest of the world aspire to help them achieve? Three weeks ago, I visited the Za’atari [...]
Should global stock markets expect a correction by the end of the year? September 22, 2016 Adrian Lowcock, investment director at Architas, says Yes. Markets have been stable for months and have been able to shrug off the surprise Brexit vote, weak economic growth and concerns over the Italian banking system. Investors seem to think that markets can handle anything, but they are far too sanguine. This is the perfect environment for [...]
There are plenty of lessons the German Chancellor can learn from yesterday’s men September 22, 2016 What is it about the rule of 10? Ten years at the top in European politics is more than enough. This month Angela Merkel celebrates her eleventh anniversary as Chancellor of Germany. She now has to decide whether to go on and on and seek another four years in the federal elections in September 2017. [...]
Scotland may be split on independence – but the future looks fixed in one direction September 22, 2016 As if Brexit wasn’t complicated enough, the Prime Minister also needs to keep an eye on developments north of the border, in Scotland. Many nationalists argue that the 2014 referendum was about being in a very different UK (i.e. inside the EU as well), and that, if the referendum was to be repeated now, the vote [...]
No respite for ISPs as one in four customers say they’re willing to switch broadband provider this year September 22, 2016 Competition in the broadband market is showing no signs of slowing, despite the regulator complaining customers could be finding switching too difficult. According to new study from big four accountant EY as many as one in four broadband customers are willing to switch provider this year. That's up from just over one in five (21 per cent) in [...]