Energy supplier SSE: No decision to break up group September 20, 2021 Bosses of energy company SSE said there had been no decision to break the company up, they said following media speculation. In a note published on Monday, the supplier said there had not been a decision to break up the group. SSE said it would provide an update on plans to further accelerate growth in [...]
Payment giant Eurowag moves ahead with £170m London IPO September 20, 2021 Eurowag, a pan-European payments & mobility platform, has announced that it will float on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The company, which focuses on the commercial road transportation sector, hopes to raise €200m (£171m) from the move, to fund its expansion plans. The payments platform company will, it said, target “certain institutional investors”. Eurowag also [...]
Energy firms plead for ‘bad bank’ as whole prices climb 70 per cent since last month September 20, 2021 The UK’s energy suppliers have urged for the creation of a so-called “bad bank” to absorb unprofitable customers from failing companies. Firms have requested billions of pounds in emergency funding to weather a crisis caused by record wholesale energy costs. Business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, held crisis talks with regulator Ofgem on Sunday and will meet [...]
Buyers face hot competition as average house price hits all-time high September 20, 2021 The national average price of property coming to market has hit an all-time high after rising 0.3 per cent this month, to £338,462. This new record high is only £15 higher than the previous record set in July, suggesting a stabilising prices, according to Rightmove’s house price index. Buyers are facing fierce competition to buy [...]
Chancellor hails London tech success as capital beats European competitors again September 20, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today hailed London’s bounce back from the pandemic as new figures show the capital is sprinting ahead of rival European tech hubs. London has attracted more venture capital investment to its startups than anywhere else in Europe and now boasts more unicorns – firms valued at more than $1bn – than France [...]
Tunnel vision: the private sector has the ability to transform British infrastructure September 20, 2021 Last week came an unsurprising denouement: the proposed link between Scotland and Northern Ireland, via a bridge or a tunnel, was being shelved. The Treasury could not countenance the estimated £15 billion cost. This was a project with Boris Johnson’s name all over it: big, bold, innovative and eye-catching. It would be a solid piece [...]
Prospective dealmakers put off by tightening UK regulation September 20, 2021 A survey of dealmakers revealed widespread concern about upcoming changes to the UK’s regulatory environment which threaten to halt a flurry of activity seen during the pandemic. Cheap valuations of London listed companies post-Brexit have turned the UK into a prime location for dealmaking with approximately £166bn of merger and acquisition deals completed so far [...]
Worker shortages could last for two years September 20, 2021 Worker shortages plaguing the UK economy pose a significant long term risk to the British jobs market. Over three quarters of businesses are concerned poor access to workers will hold back the UK labour market’s competitiveness, the highest proportion on record, according to research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) published today. Matthew Fell, [...]
Editorial: London’s ability to roll with the punches has served it in good stead September 20, 2021 “Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls.” So snarled Joe Strummer on The Clash’s London Calling – an iconic rallying cry that we have borrowed for today’s front page. West London’s finest songwriter probably didn’t foresee the strange places in which we’d one day be making pandemic-induced Zoom calls. but he’d surely be [...]
Boris’ success at COP26 will be measured by China’s seat at the table September 20, 2021 Boris Johnson has made clear his government is pursuing a “balanced” approach with China. Britain will seek to impose stronger safeguards to protect our national security, while maintaining cooperation in a range of areas. Climate change is one of the most prominent issues. China is the world’s largest emitter and as a result, requires focused [...]
