Theresa May to give parliament a vote on no-deal Brexit as delay to Article 50 appears on horizon February 26, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May today conceded the possibility of delaying Brexit if parliament rejects her deal for a second time. Addressing the Commons, May said that if MPs reject her withdrawal agreement on 12 March, a vote will take place the following day on whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal. [...]
Huawei chairman says the US has ‘no evidence, nothing’ of Chinese backdoors in 5G February 26, 2019 Huawei's chairman Guo Ping has said there is "no evidence, nothing" to support US claims of spying via its telecommunications equipment. "We don't do bad things," said Ping, speaking in a keynote address at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "Here, let me say this as clearly as possible: Huawei has not and will never plant backdoors. [...]
Marks & Spencer and Ocado confirm talks over joint retail venture February 26, 2019 Marks & Spencer and Ocado have confirmed they are “in discussions” around a £1.8bn joint venture. Read more: Ocado to develop 20 new warehouses in first stage of US deal with Kroger The tie-up would see M&S pay Ocado between £800m and £900m for a 50 per cent stake in the food delivery service, according [...]
Sterling rallies as Theresa May prepares to rule out no-deal Brexit February 26, 2019 The Prime Minister is reportedly set to rule out a no-deal Brexit in order to fend off a mass cabinet revolt against her that could see 15 ministers resign, it is reported. Sterling rose to a four-week high against the dollar of $1.319, and a 21-month high of €1.162 against the euro as markets reacted to developments [...]
IBM’s Watson supercomputer to solve the mobility problem in tie-up with Volkswagen’s SEAT February 26, 2019 IBM and Volkswagen's Spanish unit SEAT have unveiled a standalone app that hopes to predict what mode of transport and route is best for urban users through artificial intelligence (AI). The app, called Mobility Advisor, will utilise the power of IBM's Watson supercomputer to present commuters with the best way to navigate cities, whether that's [...]
How to ride the pound sterling rollercoaster through a no-deal Brexit February 26, 2019 With no signs of letting up, the cold winds of Brexit uncertainty blowing through parliament have been pretty chilling for the UK economy. With Theresa May revealing on Sunday that MPs might not vote on her new deal until 12 March, and rumours swirling that Brexit may be delayed until May or beyond, businesses are [...]
Fuller’s pubs chief executive Simon Emeny joins WH Smith board February 26, 2019 The chief executive of Fuller's pubs has joined the board of WH Smith to sit as a non-executive director, the high street retailer announced this morning. Simon Emeny, group chief executive of London brewery Fuller, Smith and Turner, will be joined by Greensill Capital chairman and former Citibank chief executive Maurice Thompson. Read more: Surge [...]
Financial Reporting Council extends probe into Carillion’s accounts February 26, 2019 Britain’s accounting watchdog will look even further into the past in its investigation of the audit of failed outsourcing giant Carillion. For the first time the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) probe will stretch to work done in 2013 – but a spokesperson declined to say why this was. Read more: KPMG boss confident in Carillion [...]
Leaked information on M&A deals leads to higher valuations February 26, 2019 | City Talk Leaking information on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals before any public announcement of the transaction added an extra US$21m to the average value of deals announced in 2016 that leaked, according to new research from Intralinks and Cass Business School. In addition to evidence of higher valuations for M&A deals that leak, the 2017 Intralinks [...]
Jupiter finance chief Charlotte Jones moves to insurer RSA February 26, 2019 Jupiter Fund Management chief financial officer Charlotte Jones has been poached by FTSE 100 insurance group RSA. The fund management firm said Jones’ departure to join RSA in the same role after three years was “disappointing”. Read more: Ex-Janus Henderson boss to replace Jupiter Fund Management chief executive Jones, who already sits on the RSA [...]