Brexit: Boris Johnson hails ‘new starting point’ in UK-EU relationship December 28, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson today hailed a “new starting point” for the UK’s relationship with the EU after the two sides agreed a post-Brexit trade deal. In a call with European Council president Charles Michel this afternoon, Johnson welcomed the agreement as a fresh start “between sovereign equals”. “We looked forward to the formal ratification [...]
Love Island woos viewers as reality show tops ITV streaming charts December 28, 2020 Love Island topped the rankings for ITV’s most streamed shows this year as the pandemic helped drive up the broadcasters’ viewing figures. The most recent series of the wildly popular reality TV show, which was filmed in South Africa, racked up 130m requests on the channel’s on-demand platform ITV Hub. This topped the list and [...]
Soho House founder sells $20m of stake after pandemic hit December 28, 2020 The founder and chief executive of Soho House has cashed in $20m (£14.8m) of his stake after the private members’ club was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nick Jones, who established the exclusive club in 1995, has sold a one per cent stake to Ron Burkle, the US billionaire businessman who already owns roughly 60 [...]
Trump signs coronavirus relief and spending bill December 28, 2020 US President Donald Trump has signed into law a $2.3 trillion (£1.7 trillion) coronavirus aid and spending package, averting a partial government shutdown. The outgoing president plunged the government into chaos after refusing to sign the stimulus bill, which was approved by Congress last week. Trump criticised “wasteful spending” and called for payouts to struggling [...]
Astrazeneca vaccine could help ease Covid restrictions, minister says December 28, 2020 Regulatory approval of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Astrazeneca and Oxford University could accelerate the easing of lockdown measures, the government has said. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said there would be a “significant increase” in jabs available if authorities give the green light to the British vaccine candidate. This would allow ministers to ease [...]
Brits warned of Brexit disruption despite trade deal December 28, 2020 Brits will face “some disruption” when the UK leaves the EU this week despite a last-minute trade deal, the government has warned. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said businesses and citizens must prepare for “practical and procedural changes”, warning that time to adapt to the new rules was very tight. Gove hailed the UK’s post-Brexit [...]
Screenshot: Can social media win the anti-vax war? December 4, 2020 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: A very British scandal **Social media gears up for the vaccine information war **How data dominates financial markets Media Moment of the Week It was quite possibly the most [...]
Lockdown batters UK footfall but retailers hope for Christmas boost December 3, 2020 Retail footfall plummeted in November amid the closure of non-essential shops, though the decline was less severe than the first lockdown earlier this year. Visitor numbers were down more than 51 per cent year on year last month as tighter Covid-19 restrictions took their toll on the high street. The decline was steeper than the [...]
Morrisons follows Tesco in returning Covid-19 emergency support December 2, 2020 Morrisons has followed rival Tesco in deciding to pay back the business rates relief it received to help weather the coronavirus pandemic. The supermarket chain will hand back £274m to the government, £230m of which relates to its 2020/2021 financial year. In March the government waived all retail business rates for the financial year in [...]
Pershing Square Holdings to join FTSE 100 in latest reshuffle December 2, 2020 Pershing Square Holdings will be promoted to the FTSE 100 following the latest reshuffle of the blue-chip index. Billionaire fund manager Bill Ackman’s portfolio will replace Homeserve, which is being relegated to the FTSE 250 after just two quarters in the big leagues. Other changes include the addition of real estate investment firm Hammerson and [...]
