Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
Queen faces technical hitch during KPMG video call December 16, 2020 The Queen faced a technical hitch while on a call with KPMG yesterday, proving even the royal family are not immune from video call mishaps. Her Majesty paid a virtual visit to KPMG on Tuesday to mark the firm’s 150th anniversary, where she spoke via video call with five individuals at the Big Four firm. [...]
Mobility firm Bolt raises €150m in biggest ever funding round December 16, 2020 Mobility firm Bolt this morning announced that it had raised €150m (£135m) from investors as the battle to take control of the urban transport market hots up. The firm, which is London’s second biggest ride-hailing app, said that the funding round was its biggest yet. Bolt follows fellow mobility firms Tier and Voi in raising [...]
BP takes majority stake in carbon offset firm as green push continues December 16, 2020 BP has today taken a majority stake in carbon offset firm Finite Carbon as it continues with plans to transition to a low-emission business model. The oil giant is one of several commodities firms buying into the carbon offset sector, banking on the rising price of emissions credits to offset falling oil prices. Finite Carbon, [...]
Why the new electric Polestar 2 should have Tesla worried December 16, 2020 The Polestar 2 is a cool and clever electric family car – and a direct rival for the best-selling Tesla Model 3.
What the tech happened to sport in 2020? December 16, 2020 Comparing the lack of sport with the other crises witnessed this year would be disingenuous. Still, an awful lot of people had large holes in their lives when live sport went off air in 2020. Some entities filled the gap fast, most notably motorsport, in no small part thanks to its embracing of esports. For [...]
Curve and Plaid team up to bring open banking to UK customers December 16, 2020 Curve, a smart banking platform, has joined forces with Plaid, an open finance data network, to help people manage their money.
Bank of England set to hold policy amid Brexit and lockdown uncertainty December 16, 2020 The Bank of England is set to leave interest rates on hold when it announces monetary policy tomorrow, according to analysts, after expanding its bond-buying programme sharply last month. Economists said there was little reason for the Bank to act. The latest lockdown measures have not been as damaging as feared, while the BoE asset-purchase [...]
Trading platforms flying high on back of pandemic December 16, 2020 Trading platforms have reported record profits as more people stuck at home during lockdowns took a gamble on the stock markets.
Shakespeare: John Lewis ad tugs at our purse strings December 16, 2020 John Lewis’ Christmas advert is undoubtedly a highlight of the festive season for many, with the retail department store’s commercial broadcast increasing in budget, production value and celebrity soundtracks every year. However, as with many things this year, there was uncertainty as to whether there would even be an advert. According to Waitrose’s executive director, [...]