Coal to be explicitly identified as climate change culprit for first time if fresh COP26 deal passes November 13, 2021 Highlighting coal’s role in intensifying the worst effects of climate change has been retained in the latest draft agreement at the COP26 climate summit. The draft deal, which still needs to be agreed by delegates attending the summit, urges countries to water down their reliance on coal and subsidies for fossil fuels. It would be [...]
Tory sleaze row puts Johnson behind Starmer for first time since January November 13, 2021 The row over entrenched sleaze within the Tory party has caused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to leapfrog Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the first time since January. Voters seem to be blaming Johnson for allowing the sleaze saga to worsen, with his ratings as “best prime minister” dipping four percentage points to 27 per [...]
London markets dip as Darktrace continues to tumble November 12, 2021 Cambridge-based cybersecurity firm Darktrace continued to tumble today, dragging London markets down with it. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.49 per cent to 7,347.91 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 lost 0.07 per cent, falling to 23,557.52 points. Darktrace plunged over four per cent during morning exchanges, extended a brutal period for the [...]
Staley and Epstein exchanged 1,200 emails that included mysterious phrases November 12, 2021 Former Barclays chief Jes Staley who left the bank to fight the findings of a probe into whether he lied about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein exchanged 1,200 emails with the convicted sex offender. The content of the emails included seemingly codified phrases such as “snow white” which investigators were unable to decipher. The news [...]
IFS: Brits unlikely to spend pandemic savings anytime soon November 12, 2021 Brits are unlikely to dip into their pandemic-induced savings and splash the cash any time soon. A greater propensity to save, especially among richer households, and maintaining savings habits adopted during the Covid-19 crisis will deter Brits from spending, according to the economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Normal spending patterns were [...]
Labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening before Christmas November 12, 2021 The ongoing labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening in the run up to Christmas, raising fresh concerns that usual festive activities could be scuppered. In the first week of this month alone, over 220,000 new job ads were posted in the UK, a historically high print since records began, according to the Recruitment and [...]
Home counties plagued by acute skills shortages November 12, 2021 The home counties are suffering some of the most acute skills shortages in the UK, leaving employers in the region clutching at straws to expand their workforce. Almost half of firms in the Thames Valley, which emcompasses Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, are struggling to source trained workers from the local talent pool, research by accountancy firm [...]
London markets shrug off weak UK GDP figures November 11, 2021 London markets shrugged off weaker than expected UK GDP figures today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index gained 0.60 per cent to close at 7,384.18 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 advanced by the same amount to finish at 23,574.05 points. Traders seemingly ignored a weak quarterly GDP print released by the Office for National [...]
Pound plunges to yearly low against dollar on underwhelming UK GDP figures November 11, 2021 The pound has plunged to its lowest level against the dollar this calendar year driven by traders dumping the currency after fresh data showed the UK economic recovery is stalling. Pound sterling dipped to day low of $1.3365, the weakest the pound/dollar exchange rate in 2021, following the release of new GDP data from the [...]
Swelling non-EU imports widens UK trade deficit November 11, 2021 Swelling imports from non-EU countries driven by the UK bolstering trading relationships outside the European bloc is widening Britain’s trade deficit. An 11.2 per cent jump in imports from non-EU countries in September drove the trade deficit up £3.1bn to nearly £7bn in the third quarter. Imports from countries outside the EU have been higher [...]