Banks call for better broadband and phone signals as UK customers switch to mobile banking apps June 14, 2015 The UK’S banking trade body is urging more government investment in broadband, 3G and 4G internet access, as new research shows that customers are becoming increasingly reliant on using their mobile phones and online access to conduct their banking activitys. Mobile phone apps are setting the pace for banking, according to the British Bankers’ Association [...]
John Lewis smells like teen spirit June 14, 2015 THREE business-savvy teenagers are in the running to win £100,000 of venture capital funding for their company, as part of John Lewis’ business accelerator programme JLab. Alex Waterhouse, 17, George Streten, 15, and James Anderson, 17, are the brains behind Space Lounges, one of five companies shortlisted to win the prize money. John Lewis works [...]
Tessa Jowell: London mayoral race is Labour’s big moment June 14, 2015 Labour mayoral hopeful Dame Tessa Jowell said over the weekend that her party had “lost the art” of winning an election, and that a victory in the race to replace Boris Johnson would be the “first step” in a national comeback. “The scale of our defeat five or six weeks ago shows that we [...]
Think tank says parties must appeal to middle income voters June 14, 2015 Both Labour and the Conservatives need to broaden their appeal to middle England, according to new research out today. A paper from the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange argues that Labour is still seen as the party of the poor and trade unionists, while the Tories remain most closely aligned with the wealthy. Policy Exchange [...]
Apprenticeships will be treated same as degrees under new law June 14, 2015 Apprenticeships will be given protected legal status under a new law to be introduced later this year, the government announced yesterday. The business department said that the forthcoming enterprise bill will make the term “apprenticeship” protected in law, in the same way as a university degree. “If university graduates have their moment in the sun [...]
Syed Kamall on Brussels, Brexit and Boris’ job – is he ready to be London’s next mayor? June 14, 2015 More than 300 Tory voters packed a lecture hall at BPP University in Waterloo last Thursday night to hear London MEP Syed Kamall speak about Britain’s relationship with the European Union. Kamall – a Conservative MEP who has represented the capital in Brussels since 2005 and led the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, the multi-country [...]
Investors give thumbs up to British assets June 14, 2015 JUNE saw the largest climb in investor sentiment toward UK shares for over two years, according to one of Britain’s biggest banks. Net sentiment toward UK shares hit 40.2 per cent in June, up from 26.3 per cent in May, figures released today by Lloyds Bank show. Net sentiment is the difference between the percentage [...]
City firms in rush to hire contract workers to deal with regulation June 14, 2015 Demand for contract workers within London’s financial services sector is soaring, new figures show. The number of contract vacancies, which are short-term, jumped 45 per cent between April and May, according to data released today by recruiters Venn Group. Demand is still high for compliance positions, with financial services firms adjusting to the new regulatory [...]
Shoppers abandon trips to the high street at faster pace in May June 14, 2015 UK high streets and shopping centres faced mounting pressure in May as shoppers made fewer visits to their stores. Footfall dropped by one per cent in May compared with the same time last year, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard. This was greater than the 0.8 per cent fall [...]
FTSE 100 miner Vedanta Resources merges Indian branches June 14, 2015 Vedanta Resources, the FTSE 100 Indian resources company, is undertaking more work to simplify its structure, confirming plans to merge its Indian subsidiaries, Mumbai-listed Vedanta Limited and Cairn India. Cairn India minority shareholders will receive one equity share in Vedanta Ltd, as well as one 7.5 per cent preference share with a face value [...]
