UK mega-poll: Conservatives on course for 68-seat majority November 27, 2019 Boris Johnson’s Conservative party is on course to secure a thumping victory in next month’s election, according to a highly-anticipated poll published this evening. Were the election held tomorrow, the Prime Minister would defeat Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party in dramatic fashion, returning to Downing Street on 12 December with a 68-seat majority. A comprehensive seat-by-seat poll by [...]
Catalyst Capital Group makes rival bid for Saks owner Hudson’s Bay November 27, 2019 Catalyst Capital Group has made a rival bid to buy the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, challenging an offer led by its chairman. Private equity firm Catalyst has offered $11 per share in cash for Canadian department store group Hudson’s Bay Company, in an offer that values the company at C$2.03bn (£1.18bn). Read more: Saks [...]
Government’s halted Brexit ad campaign cost taxpayers £5m November 27, 2019 Boris Johnson’s ad campaign urging people and businesses to prepare for leaving the EU on 31 October cost taxpayers almost £5m in just a month. The government unveiled a £100m “Get Ready for Brexit” campaign at the end of August, promising an advertising blitz across billboards, TV and radio, as well as a revamped website. [...]
Boris Johnson apologises to Muslim community November 27, 2019 Boris Johnson has apologised to the Muslim community for instances of Islamophobia within the Tory party. Johnson has previously been criticised for comparing women wearing niqabs as looking like letter boxes and bank robbers, and the party has said it would soon launch an inquiry into discrimination of all kinds within the party. Read more: [...]
Nickie Aiken: Change is coming to the Two Cities November 27, 2019 Whichever way people vote in the General Election, change is coming to the Cities of London and Westminster. Former minister Mark Field has stood down, after being accused of assault by a Greenpeace activist this summer, with Westminster Council leader Nickie Aiken the new Conservative candidate fighting to keep this marginal constituency blue. Having been [...]
RBS launches digital bank Bo in bid to rival fintechs November 27, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has officially launched its digital bank as it looks to rival a group of fast-growing fintechs and hoover up more online customers. The state-backed lender has created Bó, its new digital, cloud-based bank featuring a bright yellow Visa card and a mobile app. Read more: LSE hires fintech to widen [...]
Rolls-Royce shares move down a gear as analysts cut rating November 27, 2019 Rolls-Royce shares have fallen 2.8 per cent today, after analysts on both sides of the Atlantic lowered their rating of the firm’s stock. Analysts at Morgan Stanley cut their rating to a neutral “equal-weight” assessment. Read more: ‘Hailstorm’ of jet engine fragments cause chaos in Rome They said the firm’s weaker underlying cash flow was [...]
Ex-Barclays banker says disputed Qatar agreement was ‘tremendous boost’ November 27, 2019 Former top Barclays banker Roger Jenkins told a fraud trial in London today that an agreement between the bank and Qatar characterised as a sham by prosecutors was actually a “tremendous boost”. Jenkins, 64, was in the witness box at the Old Bailey as he stood trial for fraud alongside former top Barclays executives Thomas [...]
Shares in publisher Future drop as chief executive takes £15m bonus November 27, 2019 Shares in publishing firm Future dropped as much as 10 per cent today after boss Zillah Byng-Thorne cashed in a bumper £14.6m bonus. In a regulatory filing Future said that Byng-Thorne had sold roughly 1.04m shares priced at £14 each. Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand pocketed £7.7m after offloading 550,000 shares. Read more: Boss of [...]
Election poll: Conservatives to pick up 167 seats more than Labour November 27, 2019 The Conservatives are on track to pick up 366 seats in a landslide victory at next month’s election, according to new polling. However, the analysis also suggests that 120,000 tactical votes could deny the Conservatives a majority in next month’s election. Read more: MRP explainer: What is the mega-poll and can it predict the election [...]