CRITICS DO A U-TURN ON HORNBY’S REPUTATION June 9, 2009 A RINGING endorsement of Andy Hornby, the besieged former chief of HBOS who is now joining retailer Alliance Boots, from the most unlikely of quarters. John Thurso, the Lib Dem spokesman for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, has been among Hornby’s harshest critics as a member of the Treasury Select Committee that harangued various bankers [...]
Real gazump United move for Benzema July 1, 2009 REAL MADRID were last night poised to hijack Manchester United’s move for Karim Benzema after having a €35m bid for the striker accepted by Lyon. Highly-rated Benzema was top of Sir Alex Ferguson’s summer wish-list in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80m move to Real, which was finally completed last night. But now the France [...]
The private equity boss who says credit is about to flow once again October 5, 2009 THE economic downturn has meant that private equity business Duke Street, like the rest of the industry, has spent the last 12 months treading water – and its managing partner Peter Taylor is keen the firm gets on with things over the coming year. Cutting deals is meat and drink to London’s private equity industry. [...]
Good-looking but a trifle shallow July 28, 2009 THE FACTS: AUDI A5 SPORTBACK 3.2 LITRE FSI QUATTRO7-SPEED S TRONIC PRICE: £36,110 0-62MPH: 6.6secsTOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 379g/kmMPG Combined: 30.4/216g/km AUDI is celebrating a one hundred-year history of building cars, competing in motorsport and having its vehicles at every red carpet event. How is it celebrating? By building more cars. Whatever your needs [...]
Disastrous for Labour, good for the Tories June 7, 2009 IT was a disastrous night for Labour, and an even worse one for Gordon Brown, now a lame duck prime minister who cannot even appoint the cabinet of his choice. But Labour’s crushing defeat – it got just 21.3 per cent of the vote in London, was beaten in Wales by the Tories for the [...]
Disastrous for Labour, good for the Tories June 7, 2009 IT was a disastrous night for Labour, and an even worse one for Gordon Brown, now a lame duck prime minister who cannot even appoint the cabinet of his choice. But Labour’s crushing defeat – it got just 21.3 per cent of the vote in London, was beaten in Wales by the Tories for the [...]
Going out in a blazer of glory June 18, 2009 STRIPED blazers, perhaps topped off with a jaunty straw boater, have long been the uniform for the well-dressed chap at Henley, which takes place at the start of July. But this year, your stripes need not be mothballed afterwards. Regatta wear, such as deck shoes and blazers, are not only for those contemplating a session [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS June 4, 2009 FILMANYTHING FOR HER Highly-praised French thriller starring Diane Kruger. SUGAR Superior baseball movie from the makers of 2007 indie hit Half Nelson. THE HIDE Intriguing, two-handed mini-drama, starring In The Loop’s Alex MacQueen. DVDVALKYRIE Tom Cruise and a host of British thesps fail as military plotters against Hitler. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Brad [...]
Just say no when it comes to pay holidays June 23, 2009 DEAR VEXED, with all this talk of firms asking to take a pay holiday, I am worried that my boss might ask me to work for free. I can’t afford it, but I’m worried that it might be a trick to test our loyalty. Help! Jessica, 26, broker The saying goes that there is one [...]
BRUNSWICK CAUSES A STIR WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS ROLE IN BRUSSELS August 6, 2009 A COUP for City PR outfit Brunswick, which is on the cusp of a lucrative new contract to advise HSBC on its public policy over in Brussels. Brunswick boss Alan Parker has long been chummy with HSBC chairman Stephen Green, so the tie-up shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. But though some in [...]