Persimmon CEO to depart after just 15 months in role February 27, 2020 Persimmon’s CEO signalled his intention to step down today just over a year after replacing the housebuilder’s former boss Jeff Fairburn, who left in 2018 amid outrage over a huge £75m bonus. Group chief executive Dave Jenkinson will depart “in due course”, he said today as Persimmon revealed a drop in 2019 profit as it [...]
The corporate intelligence industry needs to become more ethical and less like James Bond February 27, 2020 Recent news stories — such as the London Stock Exchange-listed company, Lekoil, falling victim to an allegedly fraudulent financing deal, the resignation of Credit Suisse’s chief executive after a spying scandal, and the news that Harvey Weinstein gathered information on potential witnesses against him — have all shone an uncomfortable light on the efficacy and [...]
Heathrow expansion: Court of Appeal set to decide on Khan’s challenge February 27, 2020 The Court of Appeal will deliver a verdict on Sadiq Khan’s challenge to a third Heathrow runway today. Khan teamed up with several local authorities, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Heathrow Hub, authors of a rival extension bid, to challenge the Department for Transport’s (DfT) 2018 policy statement outlining the project. Parliament backed the [...]
Keep calm and drink Yorkshire Tea until the Twitter storm blows over February 27, 2020 Another day, another Twitter pile-on. This time, the warriors of social justice turned their ire on homely hot-drink merchants Yorkshire Tea. Their equally voluble online opponents rallied to its defence. Why? Because Yorkshire Tea had the temerity to be, unbeknownst to them, our new chancellor’s choice of brew. Or, more precisely, the drink selected by [...]
Our capitalist system is in crisis — here’s how we can reboot it February 27, 2020 Capitalism and the market economy are in trouble. As the benefits of our capitalist system accrue to the already wealthy while a huge swathe of the population continues to struggle, many are questioning whether inequality is built into the current system — which therefore needs overthrowing with statist intervention. Others cling on to their ideological [...]
Britain’s political landscape has shifted, but think tanks are struggling to adapt February 27, 2020 Think tanks occupy a unique place in the policy world. Neither academic institutions nor the parties tasked with policy implementation, their role has traditionally been as independent “policy labs”, growing ideas for politicians to use when in power. Yet, as we are all aware, the political landscape has shifted in recent years. And think tanks [...]
DEBATE: Would it be a disaster for Democrats if Bernie Sanders became the nominee? February 27, 2020 Would it be a disaster for Democrats if Bernie Sanders became the nominee? Samuel Armstrong, head of communications at the Henry Jackson Society, says YES. Successful Democratic campaigns have one thing in common: they focus on what matters to ordinary people. This rule’s famed champion, James Carville, delivered Bill Clinton’s victory in 1992. The motto [...]
Construction sector lobbies government for £225m ‘future-proofing’ institute February 27, 2020 Construction and engineering bosses are pushing the government to set up a new institute to promote the interests of the consultancy and engineering sector. In a letter to business minister Nadhim Zahawi, the 28 leaders of firms involved in national infrastructure seek government funding to develop the Consultancy Sector Futures Institute. The initiative is being [...]
StanChart lowers growth target over coronavirus and economic slowdown February 27, 2020 Standard Chartered has reported a 46 per cent jump in annual profit, but warned that operating income growth would be lower than expected this year due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in key Asian markets. The figures StanChart’s statutory pre-tax profit jumped 46 per cent to $3.7bn (£2.9bn) in 2019, up from $2.6bn [...]
Energy complaints only the tip of the iceberg February 27, 2020 The true scale of customer dissatisfaction with the energy sector has been significantly underestimated, according to a new survey. Research by consumer group Which said if every consumer with a grievance against their supplier complained, the number submitted would be around 6.9m. One reason for this figure is disillusioned customers do not want to make [...]