Labour’s business backers – where are they now? December 10, 2024 Labour won the public backing of over 120 business chiefs in a letter before the election – but the enthusiasm of those executives appears to have dimmed since then. City AM tried to track them down. It was a letter that seemed to signal a tectonic shift in British politics when it landed in newspapers [...]
London house prices reach ‘unaffordable’ levels – even for top earners December 9, 2024 Even the richest people in London are being priced out of the property market as house prices reach record levels, the Office for National Statistics has found. “In London, the average home was not affordable for any household income decile,” the statistics watchdog said in its latest Housing Purchase Affordability index, using 2023 data. The [...]
British rail firms have the most expensive tickets in Europe December 9, 2024 British train companies are the priciest in Europe, new analysis has revealed. A study from campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) listed Great Western Railway (GWR) Eurostar and Avanti West Coast as the top three most expensive European train firms by ticket price. GWR fares are around two and a half times greater than the [...]
Pubs pin hopes on Christmas trading period amid post-Budget woes December 9, 2024 The UK’s hospitality industry is gearing up for a bumper festive season, the first in four years not to be affected by pandemic restrictions or transport strikes. The preparations come ahead of what is seen as one of the busiest times of year for pub operators across the country, a number of whom hope to [...]
How St James’s Place is changing its opulent image December 9, 2024 St James’s Place is working to overhaul the ‘cruise and cufflink’ image that it has long been saddled with, including dropping its annual conference for advisers at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena. The wealth manager giant, which will be re-promoted to the FTSE 100 later this month, has dropped the opulent gathering with its 4,852 advisers [...]
Reeves promises ‘deeper, more mature’ economic relationship with EU December 9, 2024 Rachel Reeves has pledged to build a “deeper, more mature relationship” with European trading partners in the first speech by a UK chancellor to eurozone finance ministers since 2020. Speaking to the Eurogroup in Brussels on Monday, Reeves also brushed off the suggestion that Britain must choose between closer ties with the US and EU [...]
US likely to fall into recession under Trump, top economist warns December 9, 2024 The US is likely to fall into recession during Donald Trump’s second term if he makes good on his campaign promises, a leading economist has predicted. Paul Mortimer-Lee, a research fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), said growth in the world’s largest economy could slump if the president-elect follows through [...]
FTSE 100 rises as Assad’s overthrow in Syria drives oil prices higher December 9, 2024 The FTSE 100 ticked up on Monday morning as oil prices jumped after rebels overthrew the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the week. Britain’s blue-chip index gained 0.28 per cent to 8,331.88, while the mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more closely aligned with the health of the UK economy, traded mostly flat at 21,047.56. Brent [...]
Domino’s Pizza profit sliced by £3m Budget tax hit December 9, 2024 Domino’s Pizza has forecast a £3m tax hit from the Budget as the firm targets a push to open hundreds of new stores across the UK. “As with other major employers in the UK, the recent UK budget has significantly increased the cost of labour for both Domino’s Pizza and our franchise partners, who are [...]
Ad market set to pass $1 trillion as UK readies for boom December 9, 2024 The global advertising market is expected to sail past $1 trillion (£783bn) in value this year as the British ad market supercharges growth into 2025. “The UK advertising market will experience significant growth in 2024,” a new report from WPP-owned Groupm said, which estimated that global ad revenue will have grown 9.5 per cent throughout [...]