One in three Londoners suffer income drop during pandemic, study finds May 8, 2021 Almost one in three Londoners experienced a fall in income during the pandemic, the joint highest of any region in the UK, new data has shown. The income pressure was driven by the disruption inflicted on retail and hospitality throughout the Covid crisis, according to research gathered by consultancy firm Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP). [...]
Travel green list: Brits can go to Portugal and Israel from 17 May May 8, 2021 Brits will be able to travel to destinations including Portugal and Israel from 17 May, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced. He said that 12 countries, including the two above and as Gibraltar, would be on the government’s travel “green list”. Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, and Iceland make up the rest of the list, [...]
FTSE 250 closes at record high on recovery hopes May 7, 2021 The FTSE 250 mid-cap index closed at a record high this week as hopes of a stronger economic recovery lifted industrial and consumer discretionary stocks. The FTSE 250 index advanced 1.2 per cent, with industrial stocks, including Easyjet, IMI and Pagegroup, rising between 2.7 and 5.1 per cent. The FTSE 100 meanwhile rose 0.76 per cent, [...]
Scotland election: SNP set for victory but majority ‘a long shot’, says Sturgeon May 7, 2021 Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) look set to cruise to another election victory, however the party is playing down its chances of getting a majority in the poll. The Scottish first minister said a majority, which the party has said would give the country a mandate for a second independence referendum, has “always been [...]
Labour’s credibility is hanging by a thread – the defeat in Hartlepool is just the beginning May 7, 2021 When Labour MP Mike Hill resigned his Hartlepool seat in March, many speculated that the by-election would pose a major challenge for Keir Starmer. Few would have believed the Conservatives would manage kind of landslide victory which was announced early on Friday morning. Just for a government to gain a seat in a by-election is [...]
English council elections: Tories make more gains in the Red Wall May 7, 2021 The Conservatives have won control of four councils and almost 100 new seats across the country, with the party making further inroads in traditional Labour areas in local elections in the North and the Midlands. The Conservatives so far have won Harlow Council in Essex, Dudley Council in the West Midlands, Northumberland Council and Nuneaton [...]
Gousto taps City bigwig Garrett-Cox as chair ahead of stock market float May 7, 2021 Recipe box firm Gousto has tapped one of Britain’s most prominent businesswomen as its next chair as it gears up for a potential stock market float. The meal kit company, which was founded in 2012, has agreed the appointment of Katherine Garrett-Cox to lead the company through a listing. The appointment is expected to be [...]
Ministers to start searching for new audit watchdog chair May 7, 2021 The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will shortly kick off the search for the new chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). BEIS will advertise for the role in the coming weeks, Sky News first reported. The FRC’s current interim chair Keith Skeoch has reportedly had his contract extended in recent weeks [...]
Two-thirds of UK adults given first dose of Covid-19 jab May 7, 2021 Two-thirds of adults in the UK have now received their first dose of the Covid-19 jab as the rollout of the vaccine continues at pace. A total of 35m people have now been given their first dose while a further 16.7m Brits have received their second. The government met its target of fully vaccinating the [...]
Asda trials delivering food orders while customers are out in bid to sustain online shopping momentum May 7, 2021 Asda is trialling delivering unattended food orders, allowing drivers to drop off customers’ shopping when no one is home. The trial allows shopping to be delivered within a four-hour window when the customer is out by dropping it into boxes fixed outside the shopper’s home. It comes as supermarkets aim to sustain the momentum in [...]
