District and Piccadilly lines impacted and dozens evacuated: 70 firefighters tackling blaze near Acton Town tube station February 2, 2022 About 70 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a car garage close to a Tube station in London. Ten fire engines were called to the large fire on Bollo Lane, Acton, on Tuesday evening, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. Around 35 people were evacuated from the area as a precaution. LFB said there were a [...]
Global ESG ranking of the world’s biggest banks: Which financial giants have the best credentials? February 1, 2022 Banks are increasingly vying to establish their ESG credentials in a very competitive marketplace, in the wake of last year’s COP26 climate talks and as they look to differentiate in the year ahead. For the first time, a full list of banks’ credentials has been compiled, carried out by East & Partners. The report found that BNP [...]
Rishi Sunak urged to allow National Crime Agency to probe ‘astronomical levels’ of Covid loan fraud February 1, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak should allow the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate “astronomical levels of fraud” that was allegedly committed during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Labour party. The party will use an opposition day debate in the Commons later today to attempt to get Government backing for an investigation after it was revealed [...]
UK’s worst hotel chains are… Britannia and Mercure February 1, 2022 Poorly rated for cleanliness, bathrooms and value for money, Britannia and Mercure have been ranked the UK’s worst hotel chains. It is the ninth consecutive year that Britannia has come bottom of the pile in the annual survey by consumer group Which?. The chain has 61 hotels across Britain, including Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel and Scarborough’s [...]
Irn-Bru owner AG Barr increases prices as company battles rising inflation February 1, 2022 The company behind Irn-Bru has revealed that prices for its drinks have gone up due to inflation. Bosses at AG Barr said they have seen rising costs for raw materials, including packaging and energy bills, leading to cost-cutting measures, adding that they have “adjusted our pricing with customers where appropriate”. The comments came as the [...]
‘Upset’ Ruth Davidson does not think Boris Johnson can recover from partygate February 1, 2022 Tory grandee Ruth Davidson does not think Prime Minister Boris Johnson can recover from ‘partygate’, as the former Scottish Conservative leader said she has been left “upset” by Downing Street partygate allegations. Baroness Davidson said the allegations of lockdown breaching parties in No 10 and Whitehall “makes a mockery of all of the sacrifices that [...]
Pension savers may lose thousands of pounds if they do not move ‘older pots’ February 1, 2022 If pension savers do not move older pots into ones offering better value for money, they could be thousands of pounds worse off, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this morning. Many working-age people have pension pots that they are no longer actively contributing to – and there are concerns that these pots could provide [...]
Boris Johnson should be ‘very worried’ after partygate apology, says Tory heavyweight William Hague February 1, 2022 William Hague, the former Conservative Party leader, has said the Prime Minister “should be very worried” and criticised his apology to the House of Commons. He said Boris Johnson had the opportunity to propose real change in response to Sue Gray’s report and squandered it. Writing in The Times, Hague said the PM had plenty [...]
Economists call hike in national insurance tax during cost of living crisis ‘extremely perverse’ February 1, 2022 Raising national insurance contributions during a cost of living crisis is the wrong thing to do, economists have warned. Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, Tom Clougherty, from the Centre for Policy Studies, said it was “extremely perverse” to raise the tax currently and it should be delayed. Clougherty said it was “extremely perverse [...]
Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is so bad that families are selling their children February 1, 2022 Non-governmental organisations and charities have warned the government that the humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan is so bad that families are selling their children. Organisations including Save the Children UK, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Concern Worldwide have written an open letter to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, telling her that the window to save lives is [...]
