Cabinet Office opens investigation into Patel bullying claims as new allegations emerge March 3, 2020 Priti Patel faced mounting pressure to resign yesterday after fresh bullying allegations emerged just hours after the Cabinet Office announced it had launched an investigation into mistreatment claims against the home secretary. According to legal correspondence seen by the BBC, a former aide to Patel received a £25,000 government payout after claims she was the [...]
Businesses urged to fight climate change and cut costs March 3, 2020 Businesses will be required to submit data on their carbon emissions, alongside their accounts, for the first time. The Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting requirements (SECR) will take affect for 12,000 companies whose financial year’s started on or before 1 April 2019 The government argues cutting the 30 per cent of annual greenhouse gas emissions [...]
Electric chauffeur service Havn launches in London March 3, 2020 An all-electric premium chauffeur service that gives passengers the options to adjust playlists, temperature and chauffeur interaction launches in London today. Havn launches with a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs which can be booked via an app or an online portal. The service is backed by Jaguar Land Rover’s investment vehicle Inmotion. Unlike similar ride-hailing [...]
Jupiter adds to pressure on Barclays over fossil fuel financing March 3, 2020 Jupiter Asset Management has backed a landmark shareholder resolution calling on Barclays to stop financing fossil fuel producers that are not aligned with the Paris Agreement climate goals. Jupiter, which is one of Barclays’ top-25 shareholders, has joined 11 other institutional investors and over 100 individual shareholders in backing the motion, which is thought to [...]
Sadiq Khan eyes power to implement rent controls in campaign launch March 3, 2020 Sadiq Khan will launch his re-election campaign today by pledging to win powers to implement rent control in London if he is returned to the top job. Launching his campaign at a Hackney housing estate today, Khan will say that his victory would represent an “undeniable and irresistible” mandate to enforce rent controls – a [...]
Watchdog warns consumers over online travel agents March 3, 2020 Travellers can get a better deal by booking directly with hotels rather than through online travel agents, a consumer rights watchdog has found. The investigation found that eight out of 10 hotels were able to offer a better price or other incentives such as free breakfasts or upgrades when customers booked directly over the telephone. [...]
Exclusive: Mystery of HS2 letter deepens as Chinese ambassador calls document ‘fake’ March 3, 2020 The provenance of a letter claiming to be from China’s state-run railway offering to build HS2 has been plunged into mystery after the Chinese ambassador to the UK said that no such letter had ever been written. Speaking at Chatham House, ambassador Liu Xiaoming said “the Chinese railway authority did not write a letter to [...]
Vodafone invests $25m in space-based mobile network March 3, 2020 Vodafone today said it has invested $25m (£19.5m) in a new space-based broadband network designed to provide mobile signal to devices anywhere on the planet. The Space Mobile project, led by Texas-based AST & Science, is developing the first satellite system that will broadcast mobile broadband from space. This will provide mobile users with signal [...]
Cordant Group receives key investment after struggling to raise cash March 2, 2020 Recruitment firm Cordant Group today received an outside investment necessary to safeguard 45,000 jobs. Twenty 20 Capital will become the majority shareholder in Cordant Group, which it hopes will enable to company to expand at a later date. As a result a new investment board and chairman will be appointed. The size of the investment [...]
Short-term rentals firm Hostmaker heads for administration March 2, 2020 Hostmaker, a London-based lettings company, has entered administration. The company’s staff are now facing potential redundancy, while Houst — formerly known as Airsorted — is believed to have bought Hostmaker’s client base, according to industry website Shorttermrentalz. The news followed a week after the Sunday Times reported Hostmaker was facing a potential insolvency battle. Sign [...]