Sajid Javid promises to increase National Living Wage to £10.50 September 30, 2019 Chancellor Sajid Javid has vowed to hike the National Living Wage to £10.50 within the next five years. Speaking to a busy Tory Party Conference hall, Javid said he would also ensure 21-year-olds can qualify for the National Living Wage. Currently the threshold is set at 25 years old. Read more: Chancellor Sajid Javid sets [...]
Thomas Cook: Customers face two-month wait for holiday refunds September 30, 2019 Refunds for package holidays booked with liquidated UK travel giant Thomas Cook could take up to two months to reach customers, the UK’s aviation body warned today. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that while direct debit customers can expect refunds within two weeks, other people face a wait of up to 60 days. Read [...]
Goals Soccer Centres warns HMRC black hole could be higher than £12m September 30, 2019 Goals Soccer Centres has warned that a black hole in its accounts could be “materially higher” than the £12m it had previously disclosed as it officially de-listed from London’s Aim stock market. The company suspended shares in March after saying its financial results had contained a misdeclaration of VAT, which have raised suspicions of tax [...]
Tube delays: Severe delays hit three Tube lines as Bank station disruption begins September 30, 2019 Commuters’ mornings fell into chaos today as severe Tube delays plagued the Circle Line, District Line and Hammersmith & City Line. Transport for London (TfL) urged commuters to take alternative routes as engineers grappled with a signal failure at Bromley-by-Bow station. Read more: Bank station commuters warned of travel chaos ‘until 2022’ The incident left [...]
Pound staggers as Bank of England hints at interest rate cut September 27, 2019 Sterling fell today as a top official at the Bank of England flagged a possible interest rate cut to offset continued Brexit uncertainty. The pound fell to its lowest value against the dollar in almost three weeks as BoE official Michael Saunders said the Bank may lower interest rates. “Quite why this is moving the [...]
FTSE 100 spikes as Trump whistleblower complaint sinks Asian and US stocks September 27, 2019 The FTSE 100 opened up again today after surging to an eight-week high yesterday, but later giving back some gains. Read more: FTSE 100 rises as US-China trade talks boost European stocks London’s main market climbed 0.96 per cent to 7,421.65 points as it opened, after the fallout from President Donald Trump’s whistleblower complaint hit [...]
EU’s Juncker says Britain to blame if stalemate ends in no-deal Brexit September 27, 2019 European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said the blame will lie with Britain if it leaves the EU in a no-deal Brexit. Juncker said he and chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier were doing their utmost to secure a Brexit deal, but the bloc would not accept any blame if efforts end in failure. Read more: [...]
IAG issues profit warning after British Airways strikes September 26, 2019 British Airways owner IAG today slashed its 2019 profit guidance after recent strikes forced it to cancel more than 2,000 flights. International Airlines Group warned that adjusted operating profit will fall €215m (£190m) below last year’s €3.49bn. Read more: Ryanair threatens to remove pilot perks over strikes, says union It estimated that Balpa’s strike action [...]
Boaty McBoatface: Antarctic vessel officially named the RSS Sir David Attenborough September 26, 2019 A polar research vessel that the public voted to name Boaty McBoatface is ready to be launched today on the River Mersey. The ship will be called the RRS Sir David Attenborough after the famous naturalist, and will allow scientists to undertake more advanced explorations in the Arctic and Antarctic. Read more: Attenborough and the [...]
White House wanted to ‘lock down’ transcript of Donald Trump’s Ukraine call September 26, 2019 Donald Trump’s White House tried to “lock down” all records of the President’s phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart in which he asked the leader to dig up dirt on political rival Joe Biden, according to a whistleblower complaint. Read more: Strap in, impeaching Trump will be a bumpy ride White House officials said they [...]