Oil price surges above $80 a barrel for first time since 2018 September 28, 2021 Oil prices have surged above $80 a barrel for the first time in three years, as markets braced for even tighter supplies due to resurgent demand that showed no signs of stopping in some locations. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose as much as 0.8 per cent to touch $80.19 a barrel during Asia trading [...]
Now pubs and bars call for visa help as staff shortage bites September 28, 2021 Restaurant and pub bosses have pleaded for ‘easy visas’ to help fill vacancies as they desperately try to recruit enough staff to keep the doors open. Patrick Dardis, CEO of London-based pub group Young’s told City A.M. yesterday that the UK needed to open up the job market to the EU to increase the labour [...]
UK enters first round of talks for $9 trillion 11-country CPTPP trade bloc September 28, 2021 The UK entered its first round of negotiations with the 11 member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The CPTPP, with a combined GDP of £9 trillion, would offer the UK access to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, including Japan, Australia, Canada and Chile. “Less than a fortnight [...]
Mike Lynch extradition decision will be watched by tech entrepreneurs the world over September 28, 2021 The coming days will define whether British entrepreneurs are subject to British law, or the whims of American prosecutors. The consequences could be felt for years and have a direct impact on the likelihood of homegrown tech giants being created here in the UK. Last week the Home Office decided to delay the extradition to [...]
Linen firm Julian Charles changes course after appeal to younger consumers September 28, 2021 Bedding retailer Julian Charles has revealed a successful turnaround at break-even position after posting a multi-million pound loss. The linen firm hit an EBITDA break-even point in the six month period ended April 2021, under new ownership by SKG Capital. Appealing to younger customers with new designs had helped the business reverse its fortunes, it [...]
Shortages are a devilish dance with Covid and Brexit September 28, 2021 There’s an old cartoon that has Satan outside a church, crying. A passer-by asks him what’s wrong and he responds “They blame me for everything in there!”. For the past 18 months, Covid has been the folk devil of almost every business issue. Look at what’s happening now, with fears of a further “winter of [...]
Ancient Rome taught us a lesson in destroying our digital footprint September 28, 2021 During the Roman empire, former emperors and elites had their image destroyed from the public memory through vandalised statues or even removal of names from official documents. The practice was known as Damnatio Memoriae or the condemnation of memory. The images of former emperors and elites were vandalised or their names removed from official records. [...]
Demand to buy in London soars thanks to office return September 28, 2021 Demand for homes in London has risen 14 per cent over the last month as Brits rush back to the office. Prospective Londoners appear keener to purchase homes rather than flats, with homes marking an increased demand of 25 per cent compared to a six per cent boost for flats. Average UK house prices have [...]
Time to go nuclear: a net zero solution to the gas crisis September 28, 2021 Last week gas prices soared to record highs and there’s no signs of them falling anytime soon. Prices have surged as the world has emerged from the pandemic; they are now trading at around four times the average of the last decade. Renewable energy has been the easiest scapegoat and climate sceptics are trying to [...]
Editorial: It’s time to be straight on the cost of net-zero September 28, 2021 In the final years of New Labour’s time in office, free market campaigners, deficit hawks and the Conservatives sought to change the language used for government projects. For years, Gordon Brown et al had used the word investment to describe the use of public money. Those campaigners and politicians were successful; first, the word investment [...]
