Who will save our education system? Leave it to the entrepreneurs December 2, 2019 One of the most notable policies to come from the bouquet of manifestos put forward for the upcoming general election is Labour’s pledge to abolish tuition fees. They identify £57,000 as the figure for the average debt the poorest graduates are being left with. That’s a hefty debt figure for anyone to be carrying around, [...]
TfL is finally giving the Tube an Apple Pay upgrade December 2, 2019 Apple Pay users will be able to move through Tube stations faster, after the app upgraded its payment system with Transport for London (TfL). Apple Pay’s Express Transit allows people to tap through Tube stations without first having to use authentication measures. Read more: TfL deficit shrinks thanks to Ulez and increased Tube numbers Formerly, [...]
Five memorable times Donald Trump interfered with British politics December 2, 2019 With Donald Trump set to arrive in London tonight for a planned Nato summit on Wednesday, Boris Johnson has asked the US President not to interfere with the UK’s general election. Johnson told reporters last week that it would be “best” if Trump steered clear of speaking about UK politics, with senior Tory figures concerned [...]
EU finance chief warns UK to stay closely aligned post-Brexit December 2, 2019 The European Union’s finance commissioner has warned the UK that the City could be cut off from continental markets after Brexit if its regulations do not stay closely aligned. Valdis Dombrovskis, who is set to become a vice-president of the European Commission, said access to the EU’s markets will require Britain not to “engage in [...]
Capco to become real estate investment trust after completing £425m Earls Court sale December 2, 2019 Capital and Counties will officially become a real estate investment trust (Reit) this year after selling off its vast Earls Court development site. The FTSE 250 property giant said it is now a “prime central London property investment business centred around Covent Garden” after officially completing the sale of its stake in Earls Court to [...]
Eurozone manufacturing PMI: Factories shrink for 10th successive month December 2, 2019 Eurozone manufacturing activity contracted for a 10th straight month in November, but factories in the bloc fared slightly better than expected as optimism rose. IHS Markit’s final manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 46.9 for November, better than expected but still below the 50-point threshold indicating contraction. Read more: UK manufacturing sector continues to [...]
Ocado offers £500m in bonds after Aeon warehouse deal December 2, 2019 Online grocer Ocado today announced a £500m bond issue as it seeks cash to fund tech arm Ocado Solutions’ commitments. The company said that the guaranteed senior unsecured convertible bonds, due 2025, are expected to carry a coupon of between 0.75 per cent and 1.25 per cent a year. Read more: Ocado shares soar on [...]
Facebook launches new photo transfer tool to allow users to migrate between services more easily December 2, 2019 Facebook is set to launch a tool today that will finally enable its users to download all of their images from the platform at once. It is the latest step from the social media firm to ensure people can download and transfer all the data stored on Facebook. Read more: Google’s £2bn merger with Looker [...]
Cat Rock says Prosus will have to raise Just Eat bid to 925p per share December 2, 2019 Activist investor Cat Rock has said it will throw its weight behind Just Eat’s Takeaway.com merger unless Prosus raises its offer to 925p per share. The Dutch food delivery firm has had a £5bn bid accepted for Just Eat but tech group Prosus has come in with a rival 710p per share offer. Read more: [...]
Google’s £2bn acquisition of Looker faces competition probe December 2, 2019 Google’s proposed acquisition of rival analytics firm Looker faces an investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog. Google agreed to buy Looker for $2.6bn (£2bn) in the summer as part of its efforts to expand the service’s cloud offerings. Read more: Price comparison rivals urge EU regulators to take action against Google However, the Competition and Markets [...]