Shapps claims ‘this is not unusual’ ahead of emergency Cobra meeting on Dover December 21, 2020 Boris Johson will hold a meeting with the government’s emergency committee this morning after France closed its border with the UK following a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus in the South East of England. Last night the French government banned all travel from the UK for 48 hours, including freight drivers. The move comes [...]
Brexit talks continue but miss European Parliament deadline December 21, 2020 Talks on the UK’s exit from the EU will continue today despite missing the European Parliament’s Sunday night deadline for an agreement. The Parliament, which will need to ratify any agreement, had said last week that it would only hold an emergency meeting if a deal had been struck by midnight Sunday. Read more: Sterling [...]
Businesses’ capacity for altruism came of age during 2020 — but it mustn’t stop now December 21, 2020 Cast your minds back to March, when the world watched as markets tumbled further each day. As the sheer magnitude of the global crisis gradually became apparent, charities were picking up the phone to corporate and private donors, asking them to give urgently. I remember the conversations vividly with our long-term supporters from the business [...]
In our lifetimes, cities will smell like the countryside December 21, 2020 Imagine taking a deep breath of urban air, and enjoying its crisp freshness as it fills your lungs. It’s not something city dwellers have experienced for centuries, if ever. Even before the industrial revolution, smoke and ordure hung heavy in the air. But we are now within grasp of the end of fossil fuels — [...]
The End of the Affair: The EU and UK have very different foreign policy destinies December 21, 2020 As the year draws to an end, City A.M. is looking back at the columns that illuminated the world around us. In The End of the Affair (1951), Graham Greene — to my mind the most underrated novelist of the twentieth century — perfectly encapsulates the chaotic feelings lying behind romantic breakup and emotional calamity. [...]
UK house prices end year on high with £62bn more deals than 2019 December 21, 2020 UK house prices are set to finish the year on a high note despite the worst downturn since the 1700s, with the residential property market racking up £62bn more in agreed sales in 2020 than last year, according to new data. Property website Zoopla said house prices rose at an annual rate of 3.9 per [...]
Business confidence surged on vaccines before new lockdowns December 21, 2020 The start of the UK’s coronavirus vaccination programme drove up business confidence to a nine-month high in December, a survey has shown. However, the Lloyds business barometer gave a picture of businesses’ attitudes before the government tightened the lockdown rules over Christmas, bringing new uncertainty to firms. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced London [...]
UK registers record rise in coronavirus cases as Tier 4 comes into force December 20, 2020 The number of coronavirus cases jumped by the most since the start of the pandemic on Sunday, with 35,928 new instances of Covid recorded as of 9am. A further 326 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, the government said. It was down from the 534 recorded on [...]
Peckhamplex, Rio Dalston and Prince Charles cinemas amongst DCMS grant recipients December 20, 2020 Some of London’s best-loved cinemas have received vital funds from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, it emerged today. Some £16m has been injected into more than 200 independent cinemas across the country. Peckhamplex, a multi-screen cinema famed for showing the latest blockbusters at knockdown £4.99 prices, received £564,423 from the Government scheme. Read more: What [...]
Giving 2020: The top global charity donors December 20, 2020 City A.M are delighted to publish our 2020 guide to philanthropy, Giving Magazine. Our annual guide to the biggest global private donors, unique to City A.M., is this year published in both print and digital form. Find Giving, with inspirational stories and all the news from the world of philanthropy, here.
