Boris Johnson under pressure to cancel school reopenings December 29, 2020 Boris Johnson is under pressure from senior cabinet ministers to delay next week’s planned school reopenings as the UK recorded more than 40,000 new Covid cases yesterday – a new record. Health secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are pushing Johnson to cancel the planned reopening of schools next week for students [...]
Inside Zenvo: the supercar company from Denmark December 29, 2020 If you have seven figures to spare, Zenvo will hand-build you a hypercar that makes Ferraris and Lamborghinis seem ordinary.
Ryanair blocks UK investors from buying shares in Brexit move December 29, 2020 Ryanair today confirmed it will block British investors from buying shares after the UK leaves the EU on 1 January. The budget airline said UK nationals will no longer be allowed to purchase ordinary shares — a rule that already applies to all non-EU nationals. While existing shareholders will not be forced to sell their [...]
What next for healthcare investing after Covid vaccine success? December 29, 2020 With three Covid-19 vaccines proving effective, we ask fund manager John Bowler and Data Insights Unit head Mark Ainsworth what comes next as regards the pandemic, and what the future holds for healthcare investing. We’d been waiting all year for a Covid-19 vaccine, when suddenly three came along at once. First up on 9 November [...]
The Hut Group ramps up growth plans with £300m takeover spree December 29, 2020 The Hut Group has forked out more than £300m to acquire three companies as the online fashion and beauty retailer pursues an aggressive growth plan after its stock market float. The Manchester-based ecommerce group today said it will snap up skincare brand Dermstore from US retail giant Target for $350m (£259m). It has also acquired [...]
British chipmaker Graphcore raises $222m as AI rivalry heats up December 29, 2020 UK chipmaker Graphcore has raised $222m (£164m) in fresh funding as it gears up for growing demand for its technology. The series E funding round takes the Bristol-based firm’s valuation to $2.8bn, making it one of the country’s most valuable unicorns. Graphcore specialises in so-called intelligence processing units (IPU) — a form of chip designed [...]
Sportspeople have never had so much power. In 2021 they will continue to change the way they are defined December 29, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has been the dominant theme of 2020 for the entire global population and its impact on the world of sport – its events, competitions, clubs and athletes – has been equally transformative. But, as Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote states, out of adversity comes opportunity. And as we look ahead to the sporting [...]
Uswitch owner RVU picks up Confused.com in effort to broaden reach December 29, 2020 London-based RVU, owner of comparison site Uswitch and financial planning outfit Money.co.uk, has announced a deal to buy Confused.com from Admiral Insurance. RVU will pick up Confused.com as well as the market leaders in insurance comparison in both Spain and France. Read more: Tech jobs boom as UK moves towards light at the end of [...]
EU and China on the brink of sealing historic trade pact December 29, 2020 The European Union and China are close to signing a trade and investment pact, according to multiple reports. The deal would be the first fissure in trade policy to develop post-Brexit between the UK and the continental trading bloc. The pact is said to open up China’s manufacturing and construction sectors to EU companies. Whilst [...]
Tech jobs are an engine at the heart of our 21st century economy December 29, 2020 If the strength of UK tech was ever in doubt, just take a glance at today’s end-of-year report from Tech Nation and the Digital Economy Council. Despite an incredibly turbulent 2020, stat after stat speaks to the sector’s resilience. As a result of the pandemic, tech, the ultimate disrupter of other industries, has found itself [...]
