Climate protesters target Lloyd’s of London over fossil fuels insurance September 1, 2020 Returning Lloyd’s of London employees have been met with protesters who are demanding the insurer ditch its fossil fuels insurance to protect the climate. Campaign group Insure Our Future launched its campaign outside Lloyd’s of London office this morning as the insurer reopened its underwriting hall. Protesters are criticising Lloyd’s for failing to take “meaningful [...]
Obituary: Former IoD chair Lady Barbara Judge September 1, 2020 Lady Barbara Judge, who has died aged 73 from pancreatic cancer, was a trailblazer in a varied career which spanned law, banking, regulation, media and the nuclear industry. An outspoken advocate for the accession of women in the workplace, she broke barriers becoming the first female director at Rupert Murdoch’s media giant News International and [...]
STV swings to loss as advertising revenue slumps September 1, 2020 STV today posted a loss for the first half of the year as record audience figures failed to offset a sharp fall in ad revenue caused by coronavirus. The figures Revenue for the six months to the end of June dropped 19 per cent from £54.9m to £44.7m. STV’s Ebitda fell 40 per cent from [...]
Schools across England welcome pupils back for autumn term September 1, 2020 Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England will return to classrooms today, as schools across the country start to reopen for full-time education. Pupils will be welcomed back for the autumn term with a “system of controls” in place to keep pupils, teachers and staff safe by minimising direct contacts and maintaining social distancing where [...]
The City View: Wework’s Mathieu Proust on the future of the office September 1, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester steps in for Christian May, and talks to Wework’s UK boss Mathieu Proust. The property firm’s chief offers his opinions on the value of office space and flexibility, the future of London as a global hub and the outfit’s plans to rebound from a dire 2019. [...]
UK economy unlikely to recover until 2023, KPMG says September 1, 2020 The UK economy is unlikely to reach its pre-Covid level until early 2023, according to new forecasts. KPMG’s latest quarterly economic outlook forecasts UK GDP will plunge 10.3 per cent for the year, downgraded from the 7.2 per cent predicted in June. However, a second lockdown of even just four weeks could leave GDP dropping [...]
Bank of Mum and Dad will drive housing market recovery September 1, 2020 The Bank of Mum and Dad will be a key driving force behind the post-coronavirus recovery within the UK housing market, according to new analysis. Nearly one in four housing transactions – 23 per cent – will be supported by the Bank of Mum and Dad (BoMaD), a four per cent rise since 2019, according [...]
Boris Johnson picks Number 10 official as top civil servant August 31, 2020 Boris Johnson has reportedly chosen a Number 10 official as the head of the civil service, indicating the Prime Minister is pressing on with wide-sweeping reforms. Johnson will appoint Simon Case to head up the civil service on Tuesday, according to the Financial Times. Case was appointed as the PM’s temporary permanent secretary in Number [...]
Plastic carrier bag charge to double from April August 31, 2020 The price of plastic carrier bags will double from next Spring and extend to all shops in England, as the government ramps up its efforts against plastic pollution. The charge for single-use carrier bags will increase from 5p to 10p and small retailers – those employing 250 people or fewer – will no longer be [...]
UK consultants paid £100m to advise government on coronavirus August 31, 2020 Some of the UK’s largest consulting firms have reportedly been paid more than £100m to advise the government on its response to coronavirus. Delayed disclosures reveal a total of 106 contracts worth £109m have been agreed between various government departments and consulting firms such as PwC, Deloitte and McKinsey since the pandemic took hold in [...]