Jess Phillips quits Labour leadership race January 21, 2020 Labour MP Jess Phillips has dropped out of the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, saying his successor must “unite” the party. The forthright MP had secured enough nominations to take her into the second stage of the contest, but was thought unlikely to win sufficient backing from unions or local party constituencies [...]
‘Clerical error’ wipes out Dixons Carphone’s sales growth January 21, 2020 Dixons Carphone was left red-faced today as it admitted that its sales growth figure actually represented a decline. The retailer updated the stock market on its Christmas trading figures this morning, telling investors it had enjoyed a two per cent rise in reported sales. However, six hours on Dixons Carphone reversed the number into a [...]
Sajid Javid denies ‘no alignment’ with EU plan will hit manufacturers January 21, 2020 Sajid Javid has denied the government’s policy of “no alignment” with European Union rules will damage the manufacturing industry. The chancellor was asked whether comments made over the weekend that some firms would not benefit from Brexit meant he was prepared to sacrifice some UK manufacturers. He said: “No, not at all. We look forward [...]
New immigration system to start next January, PM tells Cabinet January 21, 2020 The government’s new points-based immigration system will come into force from January next year as part of Boris Johnson’s commitment to voters, Cabinet ministers were told today. The Prime Minister this morning told his senior colleagues that he was pressing ahead with plans for a shake-up of the system, which will reduce the overall number [...]
RBS’ digital banking chief to step down in coming months January 21, 2020 The chief executive of Bo, RBS’ digital banking platform, is one of a number of executives who will leave the company in the coming months as part of a reshuffle under new boss Alison Rose. Mark Bailie, who was considered a potential challenger to Rose before her appointment in the autumn, will step down just [...]
Samuel Tak Lee announces plan to vote against Shaftesbury’s board at AGM January 21, 2020 Billionaire property magnate Samuel Tak Lee announced today he will vote against West End landlord Shaftesbury’s board at a meeting this month, as a long running dispute between the pair rumbles on. Lee, the owner of rival London landlord Langham Estate, is the largest shareholder in Shaftesbury, and launched legal action against the firm [...]
Network Rail investigated for ‘poor performance’ in Midlands and north west January 21, 2020 Network Rail is being investigated over poor performance on train lines in the northwest and the Midlands. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has put the company on a warning over the performance on Northern and TransPennine Express routes. Network Rail is publicly-owned, and operates the UK’s physical rail infrastructure, such as tracks, signalling [...]
Trump Davos 2020 speech: US could do ‘tremendous’ trade deal with UK January 21, 2020 President Donald Trump used his Davos 2020 speech today to say he is looking forward to negotiating a “tremendous new deal” with the UK after Brexit. Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, President Trump said the UK has a “wonderful new Prime Minister who wants very much to make a deal”. Read [...]
Aldi announces pay rise and recruitment drive January 21, 2020 Aldi has announced it will increase the hourly rate paid to in-store staff members and hire more than 3,800 employees this year as it pushes ahead with its UK expansion plans. The budget supermarket said all employees will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40, a 30p per hour increase from the previous minimum wage [...]
Upper Crust owner SSP sales rise on strong UK passenger growth January 21, 2020 Upper Crust owner SSP Group reported a slight rise in sales at the end of last year as the travel hub food operator benefitted from growing passenger numbers in the UK and North America. Like-for-like sales in the three months ended 31 December grew 1.2 per cent, in line with expectations, the company said this [...]