The City skyline is changing and will earn its keep as a world-leader May 10, 2021 The Government will this week set out whether England can take the next step in its roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions as expected on 17 May. The data seems positive, so we hope to see more people returning to the Square Mile soon for work, hospitality, shopping and everything else on offer – other than, [...]
Service sector confidence surges as vaccine rollout continues May 10, 2021 Service sector confidence soared to its highest level in more than a year last month as the UK’s continued vaccine rollout and the easing of lockdown restrictions boosted optimism. Confidence among businesses in the service sector hit a 14-month high in April after rising 1.36 points to 99.86, according to BDO’s latest services optimism index. [...]
UK business borrowing forecasts fall by £7bn on recovery hopes May 10, 2021 Forecasts for UK business borrowing have been slashed as the economy rebounds from the Covid-19 pandemic more quickly than anticipated. Banks are set to lend £19bn to British companies this year, up four per cent year on year but down from the £26bn forecast in February. Growth is set to slow further in 2022 to [...]
Rail disruption set to continue next week after cracks found in trains May 9, 2021 Travel chaos caused by safety checks after cracks were discovered in some high-speed trains is set to continue into next week, Brits have been warned. Robert Nisbet of the Rail Delivery Group said initial inspections of 183 trains taken out of service yesterday should be completed by the end of the day. But he warned [...]
Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger’s in Saturday Night Live appearance May 9, 2021 Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has revealed he has Asperger’s syndrome during an appearance on US sketch show series Saturday Night Live. The Tesla founder told viewers he was the “first person with Asperger’s” to host the show, “or at least the first person to admit it”. It is thought to be the first time the [...]
Hugging to be allowed soon as UK on track for lockdown easing May 9, 2021 Brits will be allowed to hug once again soon as Boris Johnson is set to confirm the next stage of the UK’s easing of lockdown restrictions. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the prime minister will give the green light tomorrow for the next stage of the roadmap on 17 May. This will mean people [...]
Lloyds in talks over £400m deal for retirement group Embark May 9, 2021 Lloyds Bank is in talks over a £400m deal to acquire retirement products provider Embark in what would be its biggest acquisition since it returned to private ownership four years ago. The lender is close to finalising a deal and an announcement could come as early as this month, Sky News reported. Embark, which was [...]
Taxman owed millions following Greensill collapse May 9, 2021 The taxman is owed millions of pounds following the collapse of scandal-hit finance firm Greensill Capital. Documents from administrator Grant Thornton show that HM Revenue & Customs is among more than 200 creditors out of pocket since the company’s collapse in March. It is owed $8m (£5.7m), the Sunday Times reported. In total Greensill owes [...]
Keir Starmer to hold Labour reshuffle after election defeats May 9, 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to carry out a reshuffle of his front bench following his party’s poor performance in local elections. Starmer is facing criticism after Labour was defeated in the Hartlepool by-election and lost control of a string of councils. He has already removed his deputy Angela Rayner as the party’s [...]
GDPR is three years old this month – has it really disrupted the business of data? May 9, 2021 We all remember it: the onslaught of emails from every newsletter we had ever signed up to asking us to confirm we were happy to stay in their database. The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation three years ago threatened to cause ruptures in the way we dealt with our information. It can seem [...]
