Watchdog probes West Coast rail franchise award to First Group and Trenitalia September 20, 2019 Britain’s competition watchdog has said it is investigating the award of the West Coast partnership to First Group and Trenitalia. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking at whether the joint operation could lead to “a substantial lessening of competition within any market”. Read more: Saga profits slump The CMA is inviting comments on [...]
Investec warns on profits amid higher costs September 20, 2019 Anglo-South African business group Investec warned on its profits for the first half of 2019 this morning as challenges in its specialist UK banking business dragged down the group. The firm expects headline earnings per share to be roughly 15-18 per cent lower for the six months to 30 September, adding that it would take [...]
Pound falls back below $1.25 after earlier rising on Juncker’s Brexit comments September 20, 2019 The sterling has fallen back below the $1.25 barrier despite rising earlier today on hopes of a breakthrough in Brexit negotiations. The pound has fallen by 0.34 per cent to 1.248 on the back of a strong dollar, which in turn weakens the pound. The fall has undone some of the pound’s gains from yesterday [...]
Eve Sleep cancels Simba merger talks as it warns of revenue hit September 20, 2019 Eve Sleep has called off a potential merger with rival Simba Sleep as it said “now is not the right time” to make an acquisition. Eve, which overhauled its management team in March, has decided to focus on its own business recovery instead of the talks, which it confirmed were underway last month. Read more: [...]
Alison Rose confirmed as new RBS boss September 20, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland confirmed this morning that Alison Rose has been appointed as the firm’s first female chief executive. Rose, who is currently deputy chief executive of Natwest and the boss of the bank’s commercial arm, is replacing Ross McEwan at the helm of the company. Read more: RBS ‘returns from the wilderness’ with [...]
Medical cannabis could nip Britain’s growing opioid crisis in the bud September 20, 2019 The United States is suffering from an epidemic that is estimated to have claimed 400,000 lives. In what is now known as the opioid crisis, drug manufacturers have been raking in huge profits over the past two decades by mass prescribing a diverse class of addictive painkillers known as opioids. Now, about 130 people in [...]
By vowing to cancel Article 50, the Lib Dems are turning their backs on liberal democracy September 20, 2019 Liberalism has a proud history in European democracy. As a concept, liberal democracy has defined the West for over a century, but belief in the greater good can only come if the people decide what is good for them. For all the talk of bringing the country together, the Liberal Democrats are following the march [...]
British Airways and the pilot strike: Are shared profits schemes the answer? September 20, 2019 British Airways’ operations ground to a halt last week due to a pilots’ strike. The airline’s flight crews argued that they should be rewarded with a cut of the company’s rising profits, having previously taken hits to their pay when BA struggled. While the pilots have called off a strike due to take place on [...]
DEBATE: Should companies be supportive of employees who want to take part in today’s climate strike? September 20, 2019 Should companies be supportive of employees who want to take part in today’s climate strike? YES, says Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party. Climate chaos does not mean business as normal, and it’s especially important that the business community sends this message. Already, the climate emergency is likely to cost the world’s largest [...]
The UK faces a bipolar economic outlook September 20, 2019 The fact that the UK’s economic prospects appear both bipolar and nebulous is a measure of the unique period that we are in. While Boris Johnson began his premiership in high energy, with the strong conviction that Britain would exit the EU by 31 October, this momentum has quickly evaporated. Earlier this month, MPs voted [...]