UK coronavirus outbreak has reached peak, says health secretary Matt Hancock April 22, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed today that that the UK coronavirus outbreak has reached its peak. Speaking in the House of Commons today, Hancock confirmed that the pandemic had hit its peak in the UK and that new cases were starting to drop. “As we reach – have reached the peak – and as we [...]
Arqiva’s £2bn telecoms takeover cleared by competition watchdog April 22, 2020 A £2bn takeover of Arqiva’s telecoms infrastructure division by Spanish rival Cellnex has been cleared by the competition watchdog. The merger, which agreed in October, will make Cellnex the largest independent operator of mobile masts in the UK, adding roughly 7,400 sites to its portfolio. The deal will also give the Spanish firm rights to [...]
Dominic Raab quashes universal basic income proposal April 22, 2020 Dominic Raab has said the government will not consider a proposal put forward by 100 opposition MPs that calls for a universal basic income. Raab, speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions in replacement of Boris Johnson, said he “doesn’t agree” that the government should hand out universal income during the Covid-19 crisis. “The chancellor has quite [...]
It’s official: Coronavirus killed UK house prices’ Brexit recovery April 22, 2020 Signs of recovery in UK house prices at the start of the year have been brought to an abrupt halt by the coronavirus crisis. Figures from the Land Registry and the ONS show inflation fell back to 1.1 per cent in February after climbing to an eight-month high of 1.5 per cent in January. The [...]
David Buik: Tories could lose next election over coronavirus loans delays April 22, 2020 Top City commentator David Buik has warned the slow payment of coronavirus loans to businesses could mean the Tories lose the next election. The City of London’s veteran financial pundit has urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to “rethink” the government’s stance on loans to businesses hit by coronavirus, with UK lending far outstripped by other countries. [...]
BeIN Sports urges Premier League to block Saudi bid for Newcastle April 22, 2020 Broadcasting giant BeIN Media has urged the Premier League to block a proposed £300m Saudi takeover of Newcastle United amid concerns about “industrial scale” piracy. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is said to be on the brink of accepting a takeover offer from a consortium backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. However, the chief executive [...]
Transport for London ‘in line for Tube bailout’ April 22, 2020 Urban transport operators including Tube operator Transport for London are in line for government bailout as the complete collapse in passenger numbers due to coronavirus raised questions over their survival. The Financial Times reported that Whitehall officials said that emergency funding could be released by the end of the week following negotiations. Passenger numbers have [...]
Snapchat shares jump as coronavirus lockdown boosts user numbers April 22, 2020 Snapchat has reported a sharp spike in user numbers during the first quarter as millions of people turned to the social media app during the coronavirus lockdown. Parent company Snap said daily active users rose 20 per cent year on year to 229m in the first three months of 2020. Revenue also grew 44 per [...]
Heineken cuts costs as beer sales slide 14 per cent April 22, 2020 Heineken has reported a 14 per cent drop in beer sales in March, and predicts the situation will worsen in the months to come. The brewer has suffered sharp declines in all regions as coronavirus restrictions close pubs and restaurants. In South Africa Heineken was forced to shut down production entirely. With pubs closed, Heineken [...]
Former Channel 4 executive launches flexible working creative agency Soursop April 22, 2020 A former Channel 4 and Vice executive has today launched a new creative agency built on a model of flexible and remote working. Soursop will hire staff around the world to work on projects for brands across editorial, advertising, film and TV. The company has secured Samsung and Nike as founding clients and has already [...]