Addison Lee’s lenders plan to take control of struggling cab firm January 26, 2020 Addison Lee’s banks are set to take control to fend off the threat of an administration. A sale of the taxi operator has ground to a halt because of debts of more than £250m. The Telegraph reported that the firm is looking to finalise a deal with a group of at least eight lenders to [...]
BT executive appointed by government to scrutinise tech regulation January 26, 2020 A senior BT executive will run a new body that looks at regulation in technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Cathryn Ross, the group’s director of regulatory affairs, will chair the government’s new Regulatory Horizons Council, first reported by Sky News. The body, which is still being set up, will scrutinise whether tech regulation is keeping [...]
Wetherspoons limits parents to two alcoholic drinks January 24, 2020 Wetherspoons pubs have told parents to stick to two drinks if they have their children with them. The pub chain said it is a staff guideline and applies to pubs across the country to deter “unruly behaviour”. The rule was first publicised by the Robert Pocock pub in Gravesend, Kent last Sunday. A poster at [...]
Man wanted over Essex lorry deaths to be extradited to the UK January 24, 2020 A Northern Irish man wanted in connection with the discovery of 39 bodies in a refrigerated container in Essex will be extradited to the UK. British authorities are seeking Eamonn Harrison on charges of human trafficking and immigration offences, as well as the 39 offences of manslaughter. An Irish court approved the extradition of one [...]
Prime Minister says Cobra committee will meet to discuss coronavirus January 24, 2020 The government’s Cobra emergency committee will meet today to discuss Coronavirus, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said. Public Health England yesterday said that 14 people in the UK had been tested for the virus, with five testing negative and the others awaiting results. It follows the news that the Great Wall of China will be closed [...]
Virgin Money begins the search for a new chairman January 24, 2020 Virgin Money today announced that its chairman, Jim Pettigrew, will be stepping down from his role. Pettigrew will retire in September 2021 – when his tenure on the board will hit the new nine-year limit for chairmen. Virgin Money said that Pettigrew’s departure is “in line with the board succession plan and good corporate governance [...]
RBS boss Alison Rose sets aside £1bn for female entrepreneurs January 24, 2020 RBS’ new boss Alison Rose today announced £1bn in funding through Natwest to support female entrepreneurs in the UK. Rose will aim to support the creation of 50,000 startups by 2023 by inspiring half a million people to consider starting a business, of whom at least 60 per cent will be women. Read more: Female [...]
Ex-HSBC executive sues top managers including former boss John Flint January 23, 2020 HSBC’s ex-global head of currencies and commodities is suing its former chief executive and three senior managers as part of an unfair dismissal claim. Frederic Boillereau, who left the bank in 2018, is bringing a whistleblowing case against HSBC next week, according to Bloomberg reports. It is thought that Boillereau’s departure came as a result [...]
Coronavirus: Four patients in Scotland tested for the virus January 23, 2020 A small number of patients in Scotland are being tested for coronavirus after showing symptoms of the infection. Professor Juergen Haas, head of infection medicine at Edinburgh University, told the BBC that there were three suspected cases in Edinburgh. He said they all had respiratory symptoms and had been in the city of Wuhan in [...]
Microsoft chief executive calls for ‘data dignity’ at Davos January 23, 2020 The chief executive of Microsoft has called for “data dignity” and that data and privacy be thought of as a human right. Speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Satya Nadella said: “Data dignity goes further than privacy. People’s data has a value.” It came as part of a discussion on technology and globalisation [...]
