Six cases of Brazil Covid-19 variant found in the UK March 1, 2021 Six cases of the Brazil Covid-19 variant, potentially the most dangerous so far, have been found in the UK, according to public health officials. The variant is believed to be more transmissible than the original strain of the virus and may be resistant to the UK’s two approved Covid vaccines. Three of the cases have [...]
Chores, childcare, Covid and work: remote working has not been a great liberator for women March 1, 2021 Many have regurgitated a common myth: the Covid crisis has led to more flexible working, which helps working women attain better equality. The true picture, however, is more nuanced and complicated. Rather than being a great liberator, Covid has, in some ways, exacerbated the problems for mid-career women. A report published today by the Female [...]
Rishi Sunak should axe 20 UK taxes in Budget, says think tank March 1, 2021 The UK should axe inheritance tax, stamp duty, the TV licence fee and 18 other taxes to simplify the UK’s taxation regime post-Covid, according to a free market think tank. The Institute for Economic Affairs’ (IEA) pre-Budget release has called for Rishi Sunak to “simplify the tax system, reduce the overall burden of taxation, and [...]
Tech titans club together to launch climate change taskforce March 1, 2021 Some of the UK’s largest tech firms are set to create a taskforce to tackle climate change with commitments to reach net zero and boost green investment. The fifteen companies will work alongside the government’s sustainable business council to help with the move The “Tech Zero taskforce” includes leaders of allplants, Bulb, Babylon, Citymapper, Faculty, [...]
Budget 2021: UK to spend extra £1.65bn on Covid vaccine rollout February 28, 2021 Rishi Sunak will boost the UK’s Covid vaccine rollout in Wednesday’s Budget by pledging to spend a further £1.65bn on the distribution of the two available jabs. The chancellor said last night that the programme had been “a great success” and that it was “essential we maintain this momentum” by providing more funding for the [...]
The City View with Canaccord’s Alex Aylen February 28, 2021 City A.M. Acting Editor Andy Silvester is joined by Canaccord Genuity’s Head of Equities Alex Aylen to chat about the state of global stock markets and what her clients are looking for in their investment strategies. Andy also takes a brief look at the forthcoming Budget and talks to City A.M.’s James Warrington about two [...]
Heathrow’s new pandemic tax pushes up flight prices February 28, 2021 Heathrow Airport has added a new charge on all outbound flights in a move that will make flights more expensive. The airport will be charging £8.90 extra to all outbound flights from April in what the airport is calling a United Kingdom Exceptional Regulatory Charge. It comes after Heathrow posted a £2bn annual loss earlier [...]
BDO: Sunak faces all sorts of challenges February 28, 2021 In many ways the first Budget of 2021, which is set to take place on Wednesday, feels like a significant one. It’s against a backdrop of an ambitious roadmap recently unveiled by the Prime Minister to take us out of lockdown, while at the same time the deficit is the highest seen in the post-war [...]
Video game firm Catalis mulls London IPO February 28, 2021 The parent company of video game publisher Catalis is eyeing a public listing just over a year after being bought by a private equity firm. The firm is reportedly set to capitalise on the boom in video games amid the pandemic and join a host of young tech companies on the stock exchange. The company [...]
Paddy Power owner Flutter hands staff £14m February 28, 2021 Gambling giant Flutter Entertainment is set to give 14,000 staff a £1,000 bonus as a result of their work during the pandemic. The Paddy Power owner saw profit slide 70 per cent after major sports events were cancelled amid the pandemic. Chief executive Peter Jackson said “maybe we are all bookmakers at heart [and] there [...]
