J D Wetherspoon: ‘Misrepresentation’ to claim boozers sell-off was for ‘money-raising’ alone July 12, 2023 JD Wetherspoon hit back at critics over its decision to sell off a flurry of pubs, telling investors it is a “misinterpretation” to claim it was a purely “money-raising” move. The budget boozer sold, closed or surrendered to the landlord 28 pubs, however said that while the move raised a small bit of capital, it [...]
Interview: Businesses need to get their ‘pound of flesh’ from home workers, says Addison Lee chief July 12, 2023 “We are a real barometer for the London economy,” Liam Griffin, the boss of Addison Lee, says as we chat in the firms’ Paddington offices. The private hire taxi firm has been a stalwart of London for nearly 45 years now, ferrying customers through the boom of the early 2000s, the financial crash of 2008 [...]
A legal puzzle: How to solve the post-Brexit Northern Ireland border July 12, 2023 Barnabas Reynolds is a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP and the co-author of Mutual Enforcement, a recent publication by Centre for Brexit Policy. In this guest essay he makes the case that the UK can only solve the Northern Ireland border issue by drawing up an entirely new solution. It is sometimes possible to [...]
‘Polluters must pay’: Therese Coffey announces unlimited fines for environmental damage July 12, 2023 Environmental polluters face the prospect of unlimited fines penalties, the government has confirmed in its latest clampdown.
‘I started this as a hobby’: Cricket star Stuart Broad reflects on his naive start to the world of hospitality July 12, 2023 England cricketer turned pub landlord Stuart Broad has admitted he had a “naive” understanding about what it took to run a hospitality business, as he reopens his pub amid a period of soaring bills and red hot inflation. The 37-year old sports star has recently relaunched his pub and restaurant The Tap and Run in [...]
UK families set for another year of cost of living crisis and £65bn hit to finances July 12, 2023 UK families are poised to be gripped by the cost of living crisis for nearly another whole year due to the Bank of England keeping interest rates higher for longer in a bid to vanquish inflation, a new report out today claims. Household finances will be corroded by rising living costs and elevated rates until [...]
Bolt to relocate driver hub to the City as UK users hit 9 million milestone July 12, 2023 Ride-hailing platform Bolt has relocated its driver hub to a city centre location on the back of racing demand for its taxis, City A.M. has learned. Bolt told City A.M. that it has relocated the hub from Chiswick to Bermondsey due to soaring passenger demand and increase in drivers, revealing that it now has 100,000 [...]
CMA agrees pause on Microsoft appeal after US court waves through Activision deal July 12, 2023 The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it is willing to work with Microsoft over its planned acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard, which could help end its legal battle with the firms over the deal. It comes after a US judge yesterday handed Microsoft a victory by saying it would not [...]
Tech titans? Musk and Zuckerberg’s feud is an ultra-public toddler tantrum July 12, 2023 From threats for a real life fight to launching rival to Twitter, the bizarre blood feud between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk shows how far our entrepreneurs have fallen, writes Josh Williams.
Consumer behaviour change essential for reaching net zero, UK’s electricity system operator warns July 12, 2023 Britain will struggle to reach net zero carbon emissions over the next three decade unless consumers are prepared to change their consumption behaviour, according to the latest study from National Grid's electricity system operator (ESO).