Four rebel Labour MPs reveal opposition to Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion plans February 15, 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand ULEZ has hit a further roadblock after four Labour MPs came out against the scheme. Seema Malhotra, Jon Cruddas, Siobhain McDonagh and Abena Oppong-Asare all told LBC they had concerns about the policy’s impact. Khan wants to extend the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) and the £12.50 daily charge [...]
Legal tech revolution: Firms invest in cost saving AI tools like ChatGPT to improve profitability February 15, 2023 Law firms are continuing to invest in cost-saving technologies, including artificial intelligence driven tools like ChatGPT, in seeking to stave off falling profitability. A sharp drop in M&A deals has hit US law firms’ profitability, wiping out the majority of all gains they made during Covid, the research from Thomson Reuters shows. US law firms [...]
Hunt urged to transform ringfencing regime which puts UK at ‘disadvantage internationally’ February 15, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been urged to reform the ringfencing regime “as quickly as possible” as UK Finance submitted proposals ahead of the Spring budget. In a list of proposals submitted today, UK Finance, the industry body, said “the current ringfencing regime puts the UK at a disadvantage internationally, as well as trapping liquidity and [...]
Households could start switching energy suppliers in bid for cheaper deals as price cap plummets February 15, 2023 Millions of Brits could switch supplier later this year, with the energy market expected to become more competitive as gas prices ease.
Morrisons has credit rating downgraded amid debt concerns February 15, 2023 Morrisons has had its credit rating cut after recording weaker sales and profits. Credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the UK’s fifth largest supermarket chain as it cautioned that its ability to repay its roughly £7.5 billion of debts had moved to “negative” from stable. It reduced the firm’s existing overall credit rating one rung from [...]
Subway mulls selling business in deal that could be worth over £8bn February 15, 2023 Family owners of sandwich giant Subway are considering a possible sale, in a deal that could be worth as much as £8bn. In a statement, the American fast-food firm said “its shareholders are exploring a possible sale of the company” after 60 years of family ownership, but added there “is no indication of timing or [...]
Nicola Sturgeon quits as Scotland’s First Minister but insists resignation is ‘not a reaction to short-term pressures’ February 15, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon has resigned from her role as first minister of Scotland following a series of political setbacks. Speaking in Edinburgh this morning, Sturgeon said serving as first minister had been a “privilege beyond measure” as she announced her resignation. She confirmed she would stay in office until a replacement had been chosen and indicated [...]
Are house prices really going up? London had lowest change across UK with average in capital now £543,000 February 15, 2023 The average UK house price ended last year £26,000 higher than when 2022 started, although the annual pace of growth in property values is slowing. Property values increased by 9.8 per cent in the 12 months to December 2022, which was weaker than the 10.6 per cent annual growth recorded the previous month. London’s average [...]
City A.M. Awards 2023: Investor of the Year February 15, 2023 Never have markets been more difficult to predict – but even in a tough environment there are gains to be had. It’s those investors that still raise the eyebrows of City professionals in admiration. Elliott Advisors The attentions of Elliott, the $60bn multi-strategy investment fund, are not always courted by corporates but the firm’s track [...]
Crypto traders shrug at latest inflation data February 15, 2023 The price of Bitcoin sits around $22,260 this morning, up by 2% over the last 24 hours while Ethereum is up 3% at $1,556.