Top UK civil servant: Leak inquiry will probably not find ‘chatty rat’ April 26, 2021 Downing Street’s so-called “chatty rat” who leaked the news of the second national Covid lockdown is unlikely to ever be identified by an ongoing leak inquiry, according to cabinet secretary Simon Case. Case told MPs today that the inquiry into the leak will likely be complete in “weeks rather than months”, but refused to answer [...]
Tailoring after Covid: Bespoke womenswear April 26, 2021 London is famous for its gentlemen’s tailoring: Savile Row and Jermyn Street belong to a city of tailors, not couturiers. It is built in tradition that extends back more than two centuries, and the great cutters and robemakers will show you officers’ uniforms from the high Victorian period and the garments of orders of knighthood. [...]
Aggreko shareholders vote through £2.3bn takeover bid April 26, 2021 Aggreko shareholders have waved through the multi-billion pound takeover by private equity firms TDR Capital and I Squared Capital. In a statement the FTSE 250 firm said the deal had passed by the majority of scheme shareholders at both its court and general meetings held earlier today. It comes just a month after Aggreko said [...]
John McAfee on life in prison… and the price of Dogecoin April 26, 2021 Speaking from behind bars in a Spanish jail, computer legend John McAfee says he’s stunned by the price of Dogecoin.
Airline shares jump on hopes of Europe-US travel by the summer April 26, 2021 Airline shares jumped today on the back of hopes that travel between the EU and US would open up again this summer. Over the weekend, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that all US citizens who had been vaccinated should be able to travel to Europe by the summer. Her comments sent shares [...]
Westfield unveils updated plans for £1.3bn White City residential scheme April 26, 2021 Westfield has revised its planning application for a £1.3bn residential scheme in White City, adding several hundred new homes to the proposals. The proposed scheme will include up to 1,760 new homes, up from the 1,093 granted planning permission in 2017, and will also involve the construction of a 1.4 acre public space and new [...]
Opponents hit out at Khan over pledge to scrap higher Congestion Charge April 26, 2021 Sadiq Khan has pledged to attempt to scrap the “temporary” £15 congestion charge if he is reelected as Mayor of London in May, prompting a wave of criticism from his opponents. The Labour Mayor raised the charge from £11.50 last June in order to secure a government bailout for Transport for London (TfL) amid the [...]
Serco tagging trial falls through after SFO declines to offer evidence April 26, 2021 Two former Serco executives have been cleared of defrauding the Ministry of Justice after the SFO declined to offer evidence. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) brought claims against Nicholas Woods and Simon Marshall, who were accused of “defrauding the taxpayer” by concealing £12m in profits related to an electronic tagging contract for offenders. Today a [...]
The Super League was a bungled sales pitch from start to finish April 26, 2021 It could have been a news story tailor-made for the short attention span of the 2020s: the Super League, a football competition intended to rival or replace the UEFA Champions League at the summit of the European game, was announced last week. It floundered for a moment, before falling into abeyance in a shorter time [...]
How mead emerged as the drink of summer 2021 April 26, 2021 These are heady times for British mead. The honey-based drink is thought to be the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. It was probably being made in China in 7000 BC and King Arthur counted it amongst his favourite tipples. Chaucer mentions “braggot”, a form of mead made with honey and barley malt, and the Ancient Hindus [...]
