Government to invest £40m in helping businesses reduce carbon footprint February 6, 2021 The government is set to invest £40m in helping polluting industries reduce their carbon footprint as the Prime Minister attempts to cozy up to US President Joe Biden’s new green agenda. Businesses in Britain’s energy-intensive sectors, including pharmaceuticals, steel, paper and food and drink, will be able to apply for their share of the cash [...]
British banks set to hand out hundreds of millions in staff bonuses February 6, 2021 Britain’s largest banks are finalising plans to hand out hundreds of millions of pounds in staff bonuses next week, at the same time loan losses are expected to catapult during the pandemic. Taxpayer-backed lender Natwest Group has informed the Treasury that it is poised to distribute more than £200m in staff bonuses for 2020. The [...]
Barclays CEO on the future of the City: ‘Forget Frankfurt and Paris’ February 5, 2021 Jes Staley, the CEO of Barclays, has said the UK financial services industry should focus on competing with the US and Asia, rather than the EU. Staley reportedly said that although jobs that would have been created in the Square Mile may have been moved to the EU, Brexit has given one of the UK’s [...]
Government faces backlash over ‘half-baked’ hotel quarantine plans February 5, 2021 Ministers have faced a deluge of backlash over “half-baked” plans to introduce a mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals to the UK, with some MPs calling the scheme “too little too late”. The Prime Minister earlier this week said the government was drawing up plans to introduce a mandatory 10-night hotel quarantine on arrivals to Britain [...]
GIP joins forces with Blackstone and Cascade in $4.7bn Signature Aviation bid February 5, 2021 The former owner of Gatwick Airport has teamed up with Blackstone and Cascade to bid for private jet firm Signature Aviation. The offer values the London-based aviation company at $4.7bn, the parties said on Friday. It emerged that Signature was up for sale in December, prompting a bidding war between several investors. Commenting on the [...]
Londoners could face tougher face mask rules in transport crackdown February 5, 2021 Tube and bus passengers in London could be made to wear higher-grade face masks to help combat new mutant strains of Covid-19. Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London have both launched reviews of current guidance amid concerns about the rapid spread of the so-called Kent strain across the UK. Face coverings have been mandatory [...]
Covid-19: Hotel quarantine policy for UK arrivals will begin on 15 February February 4, 2021 The long-delayed hotel quarantine policy for all UK arrivals from 33 'red list' countries is set to begin on 15 February
Piers Corbyn arrested over leaflets comparing UK’s vaccine programme to Auschwitz February 4, 2021 Piers Corbyn, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s brother, has been arrested for handing out leaflets comparing the nation’s Covid vaccination programme to Auschwitz. The Metropolitan Police told London newspaper Jewish News: “Officers investigating reports of malicious material in the form of a leaflet being circulated in south London in late January have made two arrests. [...]
SPACs: The blank cheque vehicles loved by Richard Branson, Tidjane Thiam and Wilbur Ross February 4, 2021 With backing from the likes of Richard Branson, former US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, City grandee Martin Gilbert and even the boss of the LSE, the vehicles known as special acquisition companies (SPACs) provide a quick and easy way for private companies to go public.
Boris Johnson: Hotel quarantine for arrivals to UK to be outlined tomorrow February 3, 2021 Ministers will provide further details on the UK’s hotel quarantine policy tomorrow, the Prime Minister has announced. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Boris Johnson said the health secretary would set out the government’s plan for introducing a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrivals to the UK from 30 countries. Johnson announced the measures last [...]