UK unemployment rate falls as lockdown easing drives up hiring July 15, 2021 The UK unemployment rate dropped in the latest quarter as the easing of coronavirus restrictions continues to spark a gradual economic recovery. Between March and May the unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 4.8 per cent, while the employment rate was up 0.1 percentage point at 74.8 per cent. “As we approach the final [...]
Food strategy review calls for £3bn sugar and salt tax July 15, 2021 The UK could introduce a new £3bn tax on sugar and salt as part of a string of reforms aimed at improving the health of the nation and helping to tackle climate change. A government review by Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby published today said Covid had provided a “painful reality check” and warned that poor [...]
UK marketing budgets grow for first time since start of pandemic July 15, 2021 UK marketing budgets have grown for the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19, marking the first signs of recovery for the country’s battered advertising industry. Between April and June this year total ad budgets expanded for the first time since the last three months of 2019 and to the sharpest extent since the first [...]
MPs call for probe into record labels amid music streaming overhaul July 15, 2021 MPs have urged regulators to probe major UK record labels and Youtube as part of a radical overhaul of the music streaming market aimed at tackling “pitiful returns” for artists. In an eagerly-awaiting report published today, the culture select committee called for comprehensive reform to existing legislation as well as new regulations to “reset” the [...]
French tycoons plot media buying spree with €250m blank-cheque firm July 14, 2021 Two of France’s best-known business figures have teamed up to launch a new blank-cheque firm that will target deals in the media and entertainment industry. The holding companies of billionaire Francois Pinault’s family and banker Matthieu Pigasse today announced the launch of I2PO, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) that will list in Paris. The [...]
BT sets sights on Elon Musk’s SpaceX after Oneweb satellite deal July 14, 2021 BT is eyeing up a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX as the telecoms giant looks to adopt satellite technology to roll out the UK’s next-generation broadband network. The blue-chip group has already inked an agreement with British firm Oneweb to explore how satellites could be used to beam internet services to rural areas that are [...]
Face masks to remain compulsory on London Tube and buses July 14, 2021 Face masks will remain compulsory on London Tube and bus services despite the wider easing of lockdown measures under new plans unveiled by mayor Sadiq Khan. While the legal requirement to wear face masks will end on 19 July, the mayor said he was “not prepared to stand by and put Londoners, and our city’s [...]
City watchdog blasts Provident over compensation plans July 14, 2021 The City watchdog has hit out at Provident Financial over plans to cap compensation for customers of its failed doorstep lending arm, but said it would not oppose the lender in court. Provident has set aside £50m under a so-called scheme of arrangement to reimburse customers who were mis-sold loans by its home credit unit. [...]
Bosses blast ‘mixed messages’ as back-to-work rules delayed July 14, 2021 The bosses of some of Britain’s top businesses have hit out at the government as ministers delayed the publication of new rules on returning to the office. Officials at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy failed to set out guidance on best practice for employers and workers yesterday despite previously suggesting they would [...]
Daily Mail: Lord Rothermere’s take-private bid is a bold step forward into the past July 13, 2021 It’s rare that a routine stock market announcement ruffles feathers, but when Daily Mail and General Trust, the parent company behind the Mail newspaper titles, yesterday revealed that Lord Rothermere was weighing up a bid to take the media group private, it succeeded in doing just that. It’s a complicated deal that relies on the [...]
