Bulb bailout set to balloon to £4bn by April August 22, 2022 The cost of bailing out energy supplier Bulb Energy could balloon to £4bn by April unless it can be sold sooner. Bulb became the first energy firm to fall into special administration last November, as it struggled with spiralling wholesale costs and the constraints of the energy price cap. But Bulb is currently gobbling up [...]
Kwarteng says ‘help is coming’ as energy price cap looks set to exceed £6,000 next year August 21, 2022 Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said that more support for households to cope with rising energy bills is on its way, as forecasters predict the energy price cap will exceed £6,000 in April next year. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Kwarteng said: “Russia is the world’s largest natural gas producer. By deliberately restricting exports, [...]
Felixstowe dock workers begin eight-day strike over pay August 21, 2022 Dock workers gathered at a picket line at the UK’s largest port today as they commenced their first of eight days of planned strike action. Around 1,900 members of Unite at Felixstowe began their walk out today in a dispute over pay. It is the first strike to hit the port since 1989. The Felixstowe [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher downgraded to ‘sell’ by UBS August 15, 2022 B&Q owner Kingfisher has been downgraded to ‘sell’ by UBS after the bank predicted the international home-improvement company will be hit by a slump in consumer spending and lose market share in the UK. The Swiss lender said that spending was slowing compared with the high demand the sector experienced during the pandemic. The bank [...]
BNPL firms welcome UK government plans to regulate the sector June 20, 2022 Buy-now pay-later (BNPL) firms today welcomed the UK government’s long-awaited plans to regulate the sector amid concerns that more people are turning to such services as the cost of living rises. Under plans announced today, the government said that BNPL firms – which provide shoppers with short-term interest-free credit to delay paying for goods – [...]
Mercedes-Benz announces global recall of nearly one million vehicles June 5, 2022 German car maker Mercedes-Benz has announced a global recall of nearly one million older cars due to problems with their braking systems. “Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain vehicles of the ML, GL, and R-Class series from the production period 2004 – 2015, the function of the brake booster might be affected by advanced [...]
Remembering the legacy of Tiananmen is our duty as China censors history June 5, 2022 As Brits celebrated the Platinum Jubilee, a much more sombre event was taking place in the capital, as Hongkongers and the wider Chinese diaspora gathered on Saturday to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. With vigils taking place throughout the city, people set out to remember the 33rd anniversary of the massacre on June [...]
Deutsche Bank unit raided in Germany over ‘greenwashing’ allegations May 31, 2022 Prosecutors in Germany raided Deutsche Bank’s asset management unit DWS and the bank’s headquarters yesterday.
Pound faces ‘existential crisis’ with Sterling’s struggles similar to currencies in emerging markets, BofA warns May 31, 2022 The pound is facing an “existential crisis,” the Bank of America warned today, saying that the British currency is facing struggles similar to those in emerging markets. “Whilst not wishing to over-exaggerate GBP’s predicament as some kind of ‘end of days’ scenario, we are concerned that the increasing politicisation of UK policy undermines the GBP [...]