UK shared office space providers ramped up growth before pandemic April 19, 2021 The UK’s largest shared office space providers grew the value of their property portfolios before the coronavirus pandemic sparked a shift to home working. The serviced office space sector grew its overall property value to £18.9bn in the 2019/2020 financial year, up six per cent on the previous 12 months. The figures highlight the growing [...]
Bitcoin slumps as cryptocurrency sheds record gains April 18, 2021 Bitcoin fell as much as 14 per cent today, shedding most of the volatile cryptocurrency’s gains over the last year. The digital asset has surged so far this year as it begins to gain mainstream acceptance as an investment and as a form of payment. But it dropped as much as 15 per cent to [...]
UK investigates effect of Indian Covid-19 variant April 18, 2021 The UK’s health officials have launched an investigation into whether the newly found Indian variant of Covid-19 spreads faster and is vaccine resistant, after cases of the variant were found in England and Scotland. Chief medical adviser for NHS Test and Trace Dr Susan Hopkins said today that around 70 cases of the Indian variant [...]
Billionaire Issa brothers snap up fast food chain Leon April 18, 2021 The billionaire brothers behind Asda have snapped up British fast food chain Leon in a deal worth a reported £100m. Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who have agreed a £6.8bn deal to buy Asda, are now swooping on the London-based food chain through their petrol station empire EG Group. The transaction, which includes 42 company-owned restaurants [...]
Amanda Staveley launches appeal over Barclays court defeat April 18, 2021 Financier Amanda Staveley has launched an appeal after losing her lawsuit against Barclays over the behaviour of the bank’s bosses negotiating investment deals. In a high-profile trial Staveley sued the lender over claims it gave her private equity firm PCP Capital Partners less favourable treatment than other parties in the emergency £7.3bn fundraising that saved [...]
Asda’s billionaire owners close in on Caffe Nero takeover April 18, 2021 The billionaire brothers behind Asda are said to be closing in on a takeover deal for Caffe Nero after buying up the ailing coffee chain’s debts. Mohsin and Zuber Issa have bought roughly £140m of loans from Swiss private equity firm Partners Group via investment bank Morgan Stanley, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The deal puts [...]
Boris Johnson ‘risks losing the red wall’ over lobbying scandal, says senior Tory April 18, 2021 Boris Johnson could lose seats in the red wall areas in the North of England if he does not get a grip on the ongoing government lobbying scandal, according to a senior Conservative MP. MP for Harwich and North Essex Sir Bernard Jenkin wrote today that the scandal was “corrosive” to the public’s trust in [...]
Hospitality firms urge Boris Johnson to stick to reopening roadmap April 18, 2021 Some of the UK’s biggest hospitality companies have urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “stick” to the current plan for easing lockdown restrictions. In an open letter the pub and restaurant bosses said two-thirds of venues were unable to open outdoors from 12 April and “none is breaking even”. They called on the prime minister [...]
All living Prime Ministers out of politics set to give evidence at lobbying inquiry April 18, 2021 Every living former Prime Minister that is not still involved in Westminster politics will be asked to give evidence at a major parliamentary inquiry into lobbying and anti-corruption. The probe is set to be announced tomorrow and it will be ran by Westminster’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee (PACAC). David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair [...]
Steel tycoon Gupta raised cash through circular selling April 18, 2021 Embattled tycoon Sanjeev Gupta is facing fresh questions over his Liberty Steel empire following reports the company raised cash from Greensill Capital by selling steel that it then planned to buy back itself. Liberty Steel Newport in south Wales used a circular trading scheme where it sold steel to a company with close links to [...]
