Aviva makes £320m bulk annuity deal with pension fund September 16, 2021 Aviva has today announced the completion of a bulk purchase annuity deal, worth £320m, with the John Laing Pension Fund. John Laing, a manager of infrastructure projects, is an active investor in large transport, social and environmental infrastructure projects and renewable energy projects globally. The transaction marks the second buy-in between the two firms after the [...]
Piers Morgan set to join new Murdoch-backed TV channel September 16, 2021 Piers Morgan will join News Corp and Fox News Media for the launch of its new channel early next year after signing a global deal, according to reports. The new channel, touted as a “global TV show”, will air in the UK, the US and Australia on weeknights and cover a wide range of genres, [...]
New ‘Britishness’ requirements for public service broadcasters set out by Govt September 16, 2021 Plans to protect “distinctively British” shows and broadcasters have been set out by the Media Minister today at the Royal Television Society Convention. Media Minister John Whittingdale announced the new rules for public service broadcasters (PSBs) to make “iconic, not generic” British shows in a bid to help them compete with US streaming giants. The [...]
Pre-departure Covid tests may be ditched to simplify travel restrictions September 15, 2021 Ministers plan to make an announcement later this week which will mean vaccinated people arriving into England will no longer be subject to pre-departure Covid tests, according to reports. A government insider told the Financial Times, which first reported the news, that measures to simplify travel restrictions and aid the UK’s struggling travel and tourism [...]
Business travel is taking off, says Lufthansa CEO amid influx of flights at City Airport September 15, 2021 Lufthansa’s CEO says the airline is placing more flights over the next two months as demand for business travel picks up again, according to reports. “We are now seeing very clearly that business travellers are coming back,” chief executive Carsten Spohr told Reuters, who first reported the news, at a conference in Berlin. Spohr said in [...]
PwC: 80 per cent of Big Four’s staff hail from higher socio-economic class September 15, 2021 Less than 15 per cent of the Big Four’s workforce come from a lower socio-economic background, according to data published by the accountant for the first time today. Staff from a higher socio-economic background, on the other hand, make up over four-fifths of the workforce at PwC UK, which was named the top employer for [...]
Lyca Mobile to invest £250m to grow in UK and beyond September 15, 2021 The largest Mobile Virtual Network Operator in the world has announced plans to invest £250m over the next three years to grow internationally and revamp its image. Lyca Mobile, part of the multinational Lyca Group, hopes the investment will pay off by helping the company, which began as an affordable international calling network, become a [...]
BDO hires record number of new trainees to its audit team September 15, 2021 Accounting firm BDO has announced that it has hired over 450 new trainees into its audit team this year, as the so-called ‘challenger’ firm bolsters its auditing arm. BDO said it had brought on more than 600 new trainees across departments since the start of 2021 – more than it has ever done before. Most [...]
Chinese ambassador to the UK banned from parliament September 14, 2021 Zheng Zeguang, China’s ambassador to the UK, has been barred from British parliament after protests were sparked by MPs and peers still under sanctions by China. Zeguang had been invited by Richard Graham, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary China Group, to attend a Commons reception on Wednesday. But Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the [...]
Gousto to double its London tech workforce with 250 new hires September 14, 2021 Gousto has announced a hiring spree to fill 250 tech roles as the meal kit company plans to double its London tech team. The company said its recruitment drive will mean its tech team will be 500-strong by the end of 2022. Gousto recorded its first full year of profitability, since launching, earlier this year [...]
