Government should rethink rates holiday as economy kicks back into life February 1, 2021 John Webber is Head of Business Rates at Colliers International News that John Lewis is under pressure to hand back millions of pounds in business rates relief received in this year’s retail rates holiday shows that the Government must re-think the way it uses the rates system to hand out support to businesses.. Last year [...]
Cost of lost schooling could amount to £350bn in lost earnings February 1, 2021 The Prime Minister this week set out plans to keep children home for even longer and the cost of lost schooling is set to reach hundreds of billions in the long run. Research from the IFS has shown that early evidence is already suggesting that the loss of learning is contributing to educational progress and [...]
CBI calls for government to consult business more widely to draw up lockdown exit plan February 1, 2021 One of the UK’s mot influential business bodies has called on the government to reach out to the country’s private sector for advice on how to reopen the economy post-lockdown. The CBI has written to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to ask the government to outline six elements when drawing up its lockdown exit strategy, including [...]
Private equity deal activity bounces back in second half of 2020 February 1, 2021 Private equity activity in the UK bounced back in the second half of 2020, but the spring’s lockdown meant that the total number of deals fell to the lowest level in seven years. According to Big Four auditor KPMG, 889 deals were completed last year, with a total value of £87.2m. The figure is the [...]
Bill Browder: Navalny has sparked something – the West shouldn’t stand by January 31, 2021 Once the largest foreign investor in Russia through his Hermitage Fund, Bill Browder is now a global campaigner focussing the world’s attention on Vladimir Putin. His efforts have seen so-called ‘Magnitsky Acts’ placed on the statute book across the world, named after Browder’s former lawyer – who, most agree, was murdered in Russian custody as [...]
The City View with Bill Browder January 31, 2021 City A.M. Acting Editor Andy Silvester talks to investment fund manager turned global human rights campaigner Bill Browder. Bill has been a thorn in Vladimir Putin’s side ever since his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was murdered in Russian custody after an attempt to expose widespread tax fraud. He talks to Andy about the protests in Russia [...]
Sir Tom Moore admitted to hospital with Covid-19 January 31, 2021 Beloved UK figure Captain Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with Covid-19, after being treated for pneumonia. Moore, who captured the country’s heart by raising more than £30m for charity by doing laps around his garden, was admitted to hospital today and is not in intensive care. Moore’s daughter gave the update this evening [...]
New UK Covid cases down 33 per cent over the past week January 31, 2021 The UK recorded another 21,088 Covid cases today, with the seven-day average falling by 32.5 per cent this week. Government figures also showed another 587 people died from Covid in the UK today, which brings the seven-day figure to 8,219 – a 5.3 per cent week-on-week drop. Patients admitted to hospital over the past seven [...]
Von der Leyen under pressure to resign as EU Commission President over vaccine debacle January 31, 2021 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is reportedly under pressure to resign her post, after a disastrous and shortlived decision to block vaccines traveling to the UK. The call to block vaccines entering the UK, after a dispute with drugmaker AstraZeneca over supplies of its vaccines, would have breached the Belfast Good Friday peace [...]
The week ahead, 1-5 February: FTSE heavyweights front up to third lockdown January 31, 2021 After a turbulent opening to 2021, with new Covid-19 lockdowns around the world, spats over “vaccine nationalism”, and chaos on both Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, a slew of FTSE heavyweights are set to update the market in what will be a crunch week for London’s indices. Despite a strong opening week, the FTSE 100 [...]
