Home Secretary’s behaviour faces renewed scrutiny as Priti Patel bullying case reaches London’s High Court November 17, 2021 Senior judges at the High Court will hear today a legal challenge over the Prime Minister’s decision to stand by the Home Secretary following accusations of bullying. The FDA union launched judicial review proceedings in February over Boris Johnson’s decision last year to disregard the findings of his adviser on ministerial standards in order to [...]
Revealed: Amazon to open 260 supermarkets across UK as it plots to take on Tesco and Sainsbury’s directly November 17, 2021 Amazon has developed detailed plans to storm the UK supermarket sector as the e-commerce is planning to open hundreds of cashierless grocery stores across the country in the next three years. More than 260 Amazon-owned and run supermarkets are to be launched before the end of 2024, namely 60 in 2022, another 100 per year [...]
Revealed: £1.7bn worth of Covid-related contracts went to 47 Tory-referred companies November 16, 2021 A leaked list today shows that dozens of firms were given contracts worth a total of £1.7bn after being referred by Tory party insiders, even though the Government has insisted fast-tracked offers to supply PPE went through the same due diligence as any other route. The list shows that former health secretary Matt Hancock referred [...]
City of London gives green light for new office tower as confidence in the Square Mile returns November 16, 2021 The City of London Corporation this afternoon approved plans for a new 24-storey office tower on Houndsditch in the Eastern Cluster, the Square Mile’s seventh tall building to be approved so far this year. The City’s Planning and Transportation Committee backed Brockton Everlast’s scheme, designed by architects AHMM, which will provide roughly 56,500 sq m [...]
Historic pharma precedent: Pfizer agrees to share its Covid-19 pill secrets with dozens of companies around the world November 16, 2021 Pfizer’s new Covid-19 pill could be made available to more than half of the world’s population after the pharmaceutical giant signed a deal with a UN-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental pill. In a statement, Pfizer said it will grant a licence for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent [...]
Post-Brexit payments space is ‘breeding ground for financial crime as Wild West culture’ looms, warns rising City star November 16, 2021 After the UK left the European Union, a range of payment providers reported so-called IBAN discrimination as a number of companies across Europe began to refuse Euro account bank details if they contained the country code ‘GB’. As a result of Brexit, sending a payment to Eurozone countries resulted in additional charges. Whilst the fee is [...]
Covid deaths jump 16 per cent in England and Wales: Highest number since early March November 16, 2021 The Office for National Statistics said this morning that there were a total of 995 Covid-related deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending November 5. This is up 16 per cent on the previous week and is the highest number since the week to March 12. Around one in 12 (8.6 per [...]
Back in black: Bluewater owner Landsec swings to £275m half-year profit November 16, 2021 Bluewater shopping centre owner Land Securities has revealed it swung to a half-year profit as the retail sector bounces back and workers return to offices thanks to the lifting of pandemic restrictions. The group, also known as Landsec, posted a pre-tax profit of £275m for the six months to September 30, against losses of £835m [...]
Landlords hiking rents at fastest pace since 2008 as demand for housing in London shoots up November 16, 2021 Private sector rents in September were 4.6 per cent higher than a year earlier at £968 per month on average, marking the strongest growth in 13 years. The fastest rice since 2008 comes as strong demand outstrips supply, according to an index. Excluding London, rents across the UK were up by 6 per cent annually, [...]
Post-COP26 beating: All eyes on mining firms today after investors dump stocks on merciless Monday November 16, 2021 Investors yesterday dumped mining stocks as the future of coal looks bleak during the first day of trading on the London Stock Exchange since the COP26 agreement was signed over the weekend. Several big names saw falls, including Evraz down 16.8p at 603.2p; BHP down 37.4p at 1923.4p; Antofagasta down 28p at 1,460p and Anglo [...]
