Oops! Stats body admits whopping public finance error of up to £1.5bn October 25, 2019 The UK’s statistics body admitted to a rare error in its public finance data today, making the UK budget deficit between £1bn and £1.5bn less than what had previously been stated. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said there was “an error in the measurement of local government social benefits”. Read more: Metro Bank [...]
TK Maxx defies retail gloom as sales top £3bn October 25, 2019 Budget retailer TK Maxx topped £3bn in sales in the last year, shrugging off high street woes with a rise in profit. US group TJX US, which is the parent owner of the fashion group, has reported a 6.4 per cent rise in sales to £3.1bn in the 12 months to February 2019. Read more: [...]
Tory donor acquires stake in former Virgin Money chief’s fintech startup Snoop October 25, 2019 A Conservative Party donor has acquired a stake in the technology business of former Virgin Money chief executive Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia. Lord Brownlow’s investment vehicle, Havisham assets, has bought a £5m share in Snoop according to Sky News, alongside Salesforce Ventures, which Jayne-Anne recently joined as UK and Ireland chief. Read more: Self-driving startup Fiveai [...]
Treasury halts production of 50p Brexit coins October 25, 2019 The Treasury has stopped production of thousands of commemorative Brexit coins over continuing doubts as to when the UK will leave the EU. A Treasury spokesman said: “We have paused production of the Brexit coin, and will take a final decision in due course.” Read more: Brussels delays Brexit extension decision The new 50p pieces [...]
Boris Johnson tells Corbyn: ‘Man up and back my election’ October 25, 2019 Boris Johnson has told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to “man up” and back a general election as the EU delayed its decision on the length of the UK’s Brexit extension. The Prime Minister refused to rule out leaving without a deal on the 31st October, contradicting earlier comments by Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid. [...]
Brussels postpones Brexit delay decision October 25, 2019 The EU has pushed back the deadline to make a decision on how long a Brexit delay it will offer the UK. But EU leaders have agreed in principle to grant the UK a Brexit extension, the European Commission said today. Read more: The FTSE 100 is trading flat amid Brexit caution The EU’s chief [...]
Legal Q&A: Should I invest in an apartment building with exterior cladding? October 25, 2019 The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 brought into sharp focus the fire risks posed by flammable external wall systems known as ‘cladding’. From a buyer’s perspective the presence of cladding will impact a number of areas, not least the ability to obtain a mortgage, potential remedial costs and the future saleability of the property. Commonly, [...]
Synthomer shares slide after profit warning October 25, 2019 Chemicals company Synthomer led the London Stock Exchange’s fallers this morning after a profit warnings pushed down shares. The Polymer manufacturer said today that its annual underlying profits before tax would be lower than market expectations if the current macroeconomic troubles carry on over the next three months. Read more: Why The Apprentice is actually [...]
Chancellor Sajid Javid admits 31 October Brexit deadline ‘can’t be met’ as government tables election vote October 25, 2019 Sajid Javid has admitted that the 31 October Brexit deadline is all but dead. It is the first time the government has publicly accepted it is unlikely the UK will leave the EU before the end of the month, despite Boris Johnson’s “do or die” pledge. The Chancellor said it is likely the EU will [...]
WPP leads FTSE 100 risers with surprise return to growth October 25, 2019 WPP led the FTSE 100 risers today as its shares climbed after it posted a surprise return to growth in the third quarter. WPP’s share price rose above six per cent to 971.2p after revealing revenue climbed 5.2 per cent to £3.29bn. Read more: Sainsbury’s heir to the throne quits to join WPP Like-for-like sales [...]