The Square Mile and Me: Asif Aziz on turning London’s neglected spaces into eclectic landmarks October 5, 2023 Entrepreneur Asif Aziz – CEO of Criterion Capital and the operator of the London Trocadero and a host of London landmarks – has made the capital his playground What was your first job?When I was still in school, I was intrigued by the London property market. My first ‘real’ job was at Morgan Grenfell Laurie [...]
Mark Harper: Transport secretary ‘proud’ of decision to axe Manchester leg of HS2 October 5, 2023 Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he was “proud” of the decision to cut HS2 north of Birmingham as he shrugged off criticism from Tory former premier David Cameron and ex-chancellor George Osborne. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his speech at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday to confirm he has axed Phases 2a and 2b [...]
Russia may attack civilian ships with sea mines and blame Ukraine, Cleverly warns October 5, 2023 Russia may use sea mines to target non-military ships and blame Ukraine for any attacks, the UK Government has said. Declassified intelligence warned last month that the Russian military had attempted a missile strike against a cargo ship in the Black Sea. The UK believes Russia could continue targeting civilian shipping, including by laying explosive [...]
Sam Bankman-Fried: Founder of Crypto platform FTX on trial accused of ‘massive fraud’ October 5, 2023 A US prosecutor has told jurors that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was on top of the world a year ago before his historic fraud was exposed, leaving customers and investors without at least 10 billion dollars (£8.23bn) they thought was secure. Assistant US attorney Nathan Rehn repeatedly pointed at Bankman-Fried, sitting with his lawyers in [...]
Carillion: Former boss banned from UK boards for eight years October 5, 2023 The former boss of failed outsourcer Carillion has been banned by the Insolvency Service from leading a business for the next eight years. Richard Howson will not be able to be a director of a UK company after the authority said he ought to have known that the way some contracts were reported “concealed the [...]
Sunak faces backlash from Johnson and Cameron over HS2 axing – as he’s reported to the police in Scotland October 5, 2023 Rishi Sunak has faced criticism from his predecessors in Number 10 for losing a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” by cancelling the northern leg of HS2. The Prime Minister defied senior Tories and business leaders to scrap HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester saying “the facts have changed” and the cost of the high-speed rail scheme had “more than [...]
Six high-street banks including Santander, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds given ‘red’ warning over eco policies October 5, 2023 Six of the UK’s biggest high-street banks have been placed in a “red” warning category by consumer champion Which? over their fossil fuel investments and commitments to tackling climate change. JP Morgan Chase, Santander, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest Group and Lloyds Banking Group were exposed for having too weak green credentials. Just three of the UK’s [...]
Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt West End performance of Les Miserables October 5, 2023 Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted a performance of Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End on Wednesday night. The protesters entered the stage during a performance of Do You Hear The People Sing? Just Stop Oil said that four protesters then locked themselves to the stage using flexible bicycle locks at around [...]
FCA exec: We’ve got to talk about London’s appetite for risk October 5, 2023 A senior figure at the City watchdog has said the UK needs a debate over its “appetite to risk” if London’s stock exchanges are to bounce back from a miserable twelve months. The capital has seen a dearth of IPOs over recent months, with plans in place to reform listing regimes and the research environment [...]
John Lewis needs a retail chief to take charge and steer it back on track October 5, 2023 Sharon White's successor at John Lewis faces a difficult decision, writes George MacDonald, and must choose whether to follow her strategy or forge their own to bring the British retailer success again