‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
‘Unmitigated disaster’: Unions and Sadiq Khan slam transport sec Mark Harper’s rail reform plan February 8, 2023 Unions and Sadiq Khan have slammed the government’s plans to enhance the private sector’s role in railways, calling it “an unmitigated disaster.” It comes after transport secretary Mark Harper announced last night the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways.” According to Harper yesterday, [...]
FTSE 100 close: BP propels London index to record high as UK set to swerve recession February 8, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 pumped to a record intraday high today led higher by oil giant BP and investors globally cheering signs that central banks are nearing the end of their interest rate rises. The premier index hit its record intraday high of a shade over 7,925 points at the open in the City today. It [...]
Covid loan crisis as taxpayers foot £4.4bn bill to cover losses with more still owed in arrears or defaults February 8, 2023 The cost of Covid-era loan losses to the taxpayer could total £11bn, according to figures released by the British Business Bank British banks have already been paid £4.4bn to cover losses including fraud with more in arrears or default. Of the £77bn issued across three different loan schemes, according to figures published , £4.4bn has [...]
Convicted: Ex Labour MP Jared O’Mara guilty of fraud to fund cocaine habit – while in office February 8, 2023 A former Labour MP has been found guilty of making fraudulent expenses claims to fund a cocaine habit while in office. Jared O’Mara was convicted of six counts of fraud after trying to claim around £24,000 of taxpayers’ money for his “extravagant lifestyle”. The 41-year-old, who represented the constituency of Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to [...]
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky meets King Charles at Buckingham Palace February 8, 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has held an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. The Ukrainian leader was driven through the front gates of the royal residence and into the quadrangle. It is the first time the monarch has met Zelensky and comes after Zelensky made a historic address to MPs and peers in [...]
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard bid would mean higher prices and less choice for gamers, CMA probe warns February 8, 2023 Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of gaming firm Activision Blizzard could result in higher prices, fewer choices or less innovation for UK gamers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said. In the provisional findings of its five-month investigation into the 68.7 billion dollar (£56.7 billion) deal, the CMA said the merger could make Microsoft stronger, stifle [...]
Government, not ULEZ expansion, causes crippling anxiety Khan tells ‘rebel’ council Harrow February 8, 2023 Sadiq Khan has told Harrow council leader Paul Osborn he should be blaming the government and not City Hall’s ULEZ expansion for leaving residents filled with anxiety. “The reason why people are stressed out is because of this government’s policy over the last 13 years,” the Mayor of London told City A.M. “What this Conservative [...]
Just Stop Oil eco-activists fined £500 for gluing themselves to da Vinci’s Last Supper – and say artist would ‘AGREE’ with them February 8, 2023 Environmental protesters fined for gluing themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper have said they believed the artist would have supported their actions. Five Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists were ordered to pay £486 each for criminal damage at City of London Magistrates’ Court, over a demonstration at [...]
Fox scores strong results as World Cup broadcasts draw in advertisers February 8, 2023 Last year’s men’s world cup helped Murdoch-owned media giant Fox increase revenues by four per cent. The broadcaster said revenue in the final quarter of 2022 was up to $4.61bn (£3.82bn) from $4.44bn (£3.68bn) in the same quarter in 2021. The FIFA World Cup which took place in Doha in December pulled the majority of [...]
Driving success: Uber eyes profitability as airport and office journeys fuel post-pandemic rideshare demand February 8, 2023 Uber said it had set its sights on delivering profits this year after 2022’s surge in demand for airport and office rides helped the company rebound from pandemic lows. Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, said the company was now focused on achieving profitability on a GAAP basis this year. Khosrowshahi said: “The pandemic’s impact on [...]