City Hall accused of ‘repeating mistakes’ of Garden Bridge scandal over £22m housing loan March 18, 2019 City Hall has been accused of repeating the mistakes of the Garden Bridge after it agreed to loan nearly £22m towards the development of a controversial housing site in south London. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has agreed to loan American property developer Anthology £21.8m to build homes at Woodlands and Masters house in Lambeth, despite [...]
Small UK businesses remain confident despite uncertain outlook March 18, 2019 Three-quarters of Britain’s small and medium-sized businesses are confident about their growth prospects over the next 12 months despite tough political and economic conditions, according to new research. Read more: UK economy rebounds in January after December slump Almost 40 per cent describe themselves as “very optimistic”, with 70 per cent of small and medium-sized [...]
Oman Air beats British Airways to top Heathrow’s greenest airlines league March 18, 2019 Oman Air has topped Heathrow Airport's league of green and quiet airlines, beating rivals such as British Airways and Etihad Airways. Oman's flag carrier landed itself at the top of the league after it phased out its older aircraft and replaced it with the ultra-quiet and green Boeing 787 dreamliner. The Heathrow "fly quiet and [...]
House prices fall in London as buyers await Brexit resolution March 18, 2019 London house prices fell in March as Brexit uncertainty held back the usual spring bounce, and are down almost four per cent year on year, a new report has said. The number of sales agreed by estate agents in February was also nearly 10 per cent lower in the capital than a year before, property [...]
UK law firms add 307 net new partners as legal sector grows despite economic uncertainty March 18, 2019 UK law firms added 307 net new partners last year as the legal sector continued to grow despite economic and political uncertainty. Figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority showed that 4,594 lawyers were promoted to the top ranks of law firms, while 4,287 retired or left in 2017/18. Read more: Magic Circle law firms embrace the [...]
UK export growth nearly slips into contraction due to Brexit and wider economic slowdown March 18, 2019 UK export growth almost slipped into contraction in the first quarter of this year due to Brexit concerns and a global economic slowdown. German export growth also slowed, falling for the fifth consecutive quarter, due to weaker car sales, according to a survey by accountancy firm BDO. Read more: German export confidence slides as last [...]
Eurostar warns customers not to travel due to French custom worker strikes March 17, 2019 Eurostar has warned customers not to travel due to chaos caused by striking French customs workers in Paris. The operator cancelled four trains from Paris to London today will not run a further three services tomorrow, with disruption expected to continue until Wednesday. Read more: Eurostar sees 12 per cent growth in business passenger numbers Customs [...]
Once Brexit is sorted, Theresa May has to go March 17, 2019 Could this be the week that unlocks Brexit? Despite twice having voted down Theresa May’s proposed withdrawal agreement and despite having put on record its absolute opposition to a no-deal Brexit, parliament has failed to coalesce around an alternative proposal. A Norway-style deal, a second referendum, a general election and a significant extension to the [...]
Vote Leave chief urges MPs to back Theresa May’s deal as Brexiters start to turn March 17, 2019 The head of the Vote Leave campaign has urged MPs to swing behind Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, saying Brexit has “never been at greater risk”. Matthew Elliott, the former chief executive of the official Brexit campaign that had the backing of Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, said the UK’s departure from the European Union “probably won’t [...]
Lyft set to court investors ahead of Wall St float March 17, 2019 Ride-hailing platform Lyft is launch its investor roadshow today, ahead of the company’s upcoming debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm is seeking to raise as much as $2bn (£1.5bn) and be valued at more than $20bn, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Lyft will be meeting with investors across the US [...]