Sunak to use September figures for autumn Budget October 16, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has asked the UK Office for Budget Responsibility to close its pre-policy measure forecast at the end of September. “Our pre-policy measures forecast was closed earlier than usual in response to a request from the Chancellor for more time to complete the Spending Review as well as the Budget (as was the [...]
Politicians pay their respects at Sir David Amess’s crime scene October 16, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are visiting Leigh-on-sea after yesterday’s fatal stabbing of MP Sir David Amess during a meeting with constituents. As reported by the BBC, the two leaders – alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel and House of Commons’ speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle – laid flowers and paid their [...]
Conservative MP calls for suspension of face to face surgeries October 16, 2021 After yesterday’s fatal stabbing of Sir David Amess, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has advocated for MPs to stop holding face to face meetings with constituents for the time being. Ellwood, who tried to help the police officer stabbed to death in the 2018 Westminster attack, tweeted this morning: “This is a vital part of our [...]
Petrol prices 2p away from record high October 16, 2021 The pump price for a litre of petrol sold at UK forecourts has reached 140.22p, the highest since September 2012. Data from the RAC Fuel Watch showed that fuel prices – which have gone up 26p a litre in the last year – are two pence away from the record high of 140.24p per litre [...]
Long read: Untangling the shipping crisis will take more than a favourable wind October 14, 2021 IT IS EASY to forget how lucky we are in the UK. A rapid vaccine rollout has almost entirely banished the spectre of Covid-19 from the country’s economy. But, there are signs the pandemic is still stopping the world from getting back to normal – none more so than in the global shipping industry.Covid-19 continues [...]
UK railways prepare for 2m passenger slump as budget cuts loom October 13, 2021 UK railways are preparing for a 2 million passenger fall as, post-Covid commuting patterns have changed, prompting rail companies to start swinging the axe on jobs. Forecasts prepared by the railway industry’s Covid forecasting group for Network Rail highlighted that, in the worst case scenario, numbers will only go up to 60 per cent of [...]
The Christmas ship may have sailed warn delivery experts post Felixstowe bottleneck October 13, 2021 The Christmas ship might have already sailed, as Felixstowe’s massive bottleneck is causing container ships loaded with Christmas gifts to be redirected towards EU ports. According to home delivery company Parcelhero, the next two weeks will be critical for retailers as shipping companies are doing everything they can to allow warehouses to be fully-stocked in [...]
Rail Passenger Service Contracts to be introduced from November October 13, 2021 The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that from 4 November Passenger Service Contracts (PSCs) will be introduced for all rail operators. As part of the Williams-Shapps plan for rail, the PSCs will replace the old franchising system where each operator would set timetables, fares and collected revenues on its part of the network. According [...]
Vertu exceeds market expectations in six-month results October 13, 2021 Automotive retailer Vertu has exceeded market expectations, registering a £51.8m adjusted profit before tax on revenues amounting to £1.9bn. In the six-month period ending 31 August, the company reported a gross margin of 11.6 per cent as well as a £57.3m net cash flow, compared to £36.5 registered in the first quarter of FY2021. “The [...]
Volvo launches world’s first fossil-free steel vehicle October 13, 2021 Volvo Group launched today the world’ first vehicle made of fossil-free steel, announcing that more will follow in 2022 as part of the company’s pathway to reach net zero by 2050. Made in collaboration with Swedish company SSAB – which specialises in transforming raw materials into steel – the load carrier for mining and quarrying [...]
