Michael Heseltine: Hung parliament better than Conservative majority under ‘flexible’ Boris Johnson December 11, 2019 If this election has proved anything, it’s that political allegiances aren’t what they used to be – not least when it comes to those normally found sitting in parliament. Which is why I find myself speaking to Tory grandee, former frontbencher and Conservative peer Michael Heseltine about his decision to back the Liberal Democrats over [...]
JD Sports shares drop after top investor Pentland slims down stake December 11, 2019 Shares in JD Sports fell as much as nine per cent this morning following reports majority shareholder Pentland has slimmed down its stake in the company. Read more: Competition watchdog ploughs ahead with investigation into JD Sports Pentland, a brand management firm and retailer, is said to have offloaded 24m shares priced at 740p each. [...]
Yougov poll: These are the London seats tipped to swing for Labour December 11, 2019 Some of London’s longest-standing Conservative seats are tipped to swing for Labour in tomorrow’s election, according to the final Yougov poll. Released last night, the Yougov poll suggests a slim Conservative majority of 28 seats across the country, an increase of 22 on 2017, which would be enough for Boris Johnson to push through the [...]
Not quite Frost/Nixon: Boris Johnson hides in fridge as adviser rows with TV reporter December 11, 2019 A frustrated media adviser to Boris Johnson was filmed swearing at a reporter live on ITV this morning, as the Prime Minister retreated into a fridge in response to a request for interview. Johnson was participating in an early morning milk round in Yorkshire today when Rob Oxley blocked the path of an ITV reporter [...]
Zara owner Inditex boosts profit as it doubles down on tech December 11, 2019 The owner of Spanish retail giant Zara has posted a sharp rise in profit as increased focus on its online platform helped cut costs. Inditex today reported a 12 per cent rise in net profit to €2.7bn (£2.3bn) in the nine months to the end of October, while revenue was up 7.5 per cent to [...]
Podcasts on brink of subscription boom as listeners ready to splash cash on content December 11, 2019 Podcasts could be on the verge of a Netflix-style subscription boom, as the majority of listeners say they would be willing to fork out for premium shows. Just under 60 per cent of podcast listeners said they would be happy to pay for content at an average of £4 per month, or roughly £50 per [...]
Thanksgiving passengers give Heathrow US boost in busiest ever November December 11, 2019 Heathrow enjoyed its busiest ever November this year, as Thanksgiving celebrations helped boost passenger growth to and from the US. British Airways and Amercian Airlines brought in new routes to Pittsburgh and increased flights on other journeys. Read more: Heathrow breaks the history books with over 80m passengers Meanwhile, Delta and Virgin Atlantic also ramped [...]
HSBC Swiss unit fined $192m over US tax evasion December 11, 2019 HSBC’s Swiss private banking arm will pay $192.4m (£146.7m) to resolve a US investigation into its role in helping wealthy Americans evade taxes using undeclared Swiss bank accounts. The US Department of Justice filed a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States against HSBC Private Bank (Suisse), but agreed to drop the charges in [...]
Saga appoints ex-Superdry boss Euan Sutherland to CEO role December 11, 2019 Over-50s insurer Saga has found a new chief executive in the former boss of Superdry, Euan Sutherland. Sutherland will start at Saga on 6 January, replacing retiring boss Lance Batchelor, who will leave the business at the end of January. Read more: Saga could sell care operations under Elliott break-up threat Sutherland recently quit the [...]
All change at Stagecoach as chairman steps down December 11, 2019 Stagecoach suffered a fall in revenue in the first half of the financial year, as chairman Sir Brian Souter said he planned to step down this morning. The company said the fall in profit and revenue reflected the changing size of its business, as it updated market for the first time since it relinquished control [...]