HS2 announces flurry of new contracts including another for CH2M – the firm of its chief exec-to-be February 9, 2017 New contracts have been awarded for the second phase of HS2, including one for CH2M – HS2's incoming chief executive's company. The announcement comes after questions were asked over Mark Thurston's appointment last month and possible conflicts of interest. Thurston joins from his post managing European affairs at CH2M in the spring. American engineering giant CH2M is already the engineering delivery [...]
Stress tests could be watered down in Dodd-Frank shake up February 9, 2017 The days of US stress tests for banks in their current guise could be numbered as Donald Trump and his team dismantle the Dodd-Frank rules. The President signed an executive order earlier this month to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulations. Now, a leaked memo from House Financial Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling, which has been seen by [...]
Bank of England governor Mark Carney commits to curbing jargon to win back trust in “dreaded experts” February 9, 2017 Mark Carney has spoken of the need for the Bank of England (BoE) to cut back on technical language to win back public trust, saying “not everyone wants to be steeped in fan charts, modelling and stress testing”. Speaking at a BoE inclusion event tonight, Carney said: “To communicate to both the City and the [...]
Sir Stelios plans to keep up the pressure on EasyJet’s board after protest vote at annual general meeting February 9, 2017 Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou plans to keep up the pressure on EasyJet’s board after grilling them with a series of questions over a sale and leaseback deal at today’s annual general meeting (AGM). The airline’s founder and now its biggest shareholder, put a raft of questions to directors over a sale and leaseback deal for 10 aircraft at [...]
The Robots exhibition at the Science Museum is a fascinating (and a little creepy) history of human-like automata February 9, 2017 Greeting you when you first enter the Robots exhibition at the Science Museum is an animatronic baby, pinned like some prized insect to a wall of pulsing lights. Commissioned especially for the exhibition and built by a special effects company, the mechanical baby repeats a series of pre-programmed animations, sneezing and wavings its arms and [...]
The UK sharing economy’s set to grow by billions this year despite scrutiny February 9, 2017 The popularity of on-demand services such as Uber, Deliveroo and Airbnb is set to boom, with the value of the UK's sharing economy predicted to grow my more than 60 per cent this year. Despite scrutiny from government, the desire for services at the tap of a smartphone app will continue according to the research from PwC, which has also [...]
Enterprise Inns becomes Ei as managed pub strategy pays off February 9, 2017 Enterprise Inns becomes Ei as managed pub strategy pays off Britain’s biggest pub owner Enterprise Inns expects to deliver full-year financial results in line with expectations after like-for-like income growth of 1.6 per cent in the 18 weeks to February 2017. Announcing a name change to Ei Group, the pub owner said its expansion strategy [...]
The case for the Garden Bridge is “weaker than in 2014” says the Treasury February 9, 2017 A Treasury report has questioned the business case for London’s controversial Garden Bridge. Officials told MPs that “the overall case for the project is weaker today than it was in 2014”. In an analysis sent to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Treasury permanent secretary Tom Scholar said there are “significant uncertainties” about some of the benefits the [...]
Blame game over cyber crime leaves listed companies wide open to attacks February 9, 2017 A shocking disconnect between IT heads and their C-suite bosses means both expect each other to take responsibility for information security breaches, aerospace giant BAE Systems has revealed. While 50 per cent of IT decision makers would blame senior executives in the event of a breach, the most popular response amongst business leaders asked the [...]
A Tory MP has tabled a no confidence motion in John Bercow over his controversial Donald Trump intervention February 9, 2017 The role of House of Commons speaker John Bercow is under threat after a Conservative MP tabled a "no confidence" motion. James Duddridge has been a vocal critic of Bercow's Donald Trump intervention, in which the speaker vowed to fight any invitation for the US President to address MPs and peers in Parliament. Read More: Commons speaker John Bercow [...]