Until Scotland’s currency puzzle is solved, independence is economically delusional October 23, 2019 The possibility of Scottish independence is back on the political agenda once again. And one question – which currency would an independent Scotland use? – that was crucial in the 2014 referendum has still not been resolved. The informal use of the pound is a very risky option. To see why, the Scottish National Party [...]
We all need a refresher course in how to disagree with civility October 23, 2019 Leavers tend to see their fellow Leavers as intelligent, open-minded and honest, and Remain voters as closed-minded, hypocritical and selfish. In return, Remainers are even less generous in their views of Leave voters. On both sides, only a minority said that they would be happy if their child married somebody from “the other side”, and [...]
Positivity is crippling your workplace and stifling creativity October 23, 2019 Look on the bright side. Keep smiling. Can do. These messages are increasingly prevalent in the workplace, to our significant detriment. And the irony of being briefed by my agent to keep this article “light-hearted” was not lost on me. I’m going to risk being serious – which is only six degrees from sounding negative [...]
Major UK retailers suffer plunging in-store profit margins October 23, 2019 Major UK retailers have suffered plunging store-based profit margins as operating costs soar in an increasingly challenging market. Store-based profit margins for the top 150 UK retailers have more than halved in less than a decade, dropping from 8.8 per cent in 2009/10 to 4.1 per cent in 2017/18. Read more: UK retail sales flat [...]
Snap beats expectations as 7m new users sign up October 22, 2019 Snapchat’s parent company Snap beat expectations in the third quarter of the year, as investment in new technology such as augmented reality continued to drive growth. Revenue soared 50 per cent to $446m (£346.2m) and the company’s net loss shrunk from $325.1m in the third quarter of 2018 to $227.3m this year. Read more: Snap [...]
Boris Johnson ‘pauses’ Brexit bill after key defeat October 22, 2019 The Prime Minister’s pledge to take the UK out of the EU before Halloween “come what may” has been left in tatters, after MPs blocked a key vote to fast-track his Brexit legislation. MPs voted in support of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB), notably 52-48 per cent in favour, but refused to back the timetable [...]
Sadiq Khan sees internal poll rating boost October 22, 2019 Sadiq Khan has received a boost in satisfaction ratings from the latest internal City Hall polling. Read more: Sadiq Khan fires warning shot at Corbyn over Brexit neutrality City A.M. understands that yet-to-be-released polling from the Greater London Authority shows the mayor of London has a satisfaction rating of +4. This is a boost from [...]
Discovery wades into streaming wars with ad-funded platform October 22, 2019 Discovery has set out its stall in the increasingly crowded streaming market, launching a free on-demand app in the UK and Ireland. The ad-funded platform, called Dplay, will provide programming from across the media group’s free-to-air channels, including Really, Quest and Home. Read more: Netflix shares rise as it beats profit expectations ahead of streaming [...]
UK commercial property rental values boosted by office and industrial sector October 22, 2019 Rental values in the UK prime commercial property market rose slightly in the third quarter driven by a strong performance in the industrial sector. UK commercial property values were up 0.4 per cent as industrial and office rental values increased 1.7 per cent. Read more: Sharp rise in property values for UK’s top shared office [...]
Extinction Rebellion protests cost Met Police £37m October 22, 2019 Protests carried out by Extinction Rebellion activists have cost the Metropolitan Police at least £37m and caused other investigations to be halted. Commissioner Cressida Dick today said that the recent two-week demonstrations had cost £21m, with this figure expected to rise by a further several million. Read more: Extinction Rebellion patron buys stake in Heathrow [...]