Shopper numbers surge as stores reopen but retail footfall lags behind pre-pandemic levels May 6, 2021 The number of shoppers visiting UK retail destinations surged last month as non-essential stores were able to reopen for the first time in months. However, despite the spike caused by the lifting of lockdown restrictions, retail footfall in April remained 32.7 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. It was an improvement from the [...]
Alastair Campbell: Back from the brink May 6, 2021 Alastair Campbell has used his experience of mental ill health as a platform for awareness and advocacy. He reveals his strategies for managing and supporting wellbeing. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. There’s a section in Alastair Campbell’s recent book Living Better in which he suggests a journalist should have written that his [...]
Mayor of London election: Beware the capital’s slide into a one-party city May 6, 2021 Most major election campaigns have trademark moments or themes that leave an indelible image on the electorate and become a part of the public’s collective memory. The 2019 General Election will be remembered as the Brexit election and for Boris Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” slogan. In the 2016 London mayoral election there was Zac Goldsmith’s [...]
Demand for food delivery helps Uber narrow losses in the first quarter May 5, 2021 Uber said it saw continued demand for its food delivery business in the first quarter but bookings in its ride-hailing division were flat on the previous quarter. The company delivered revenue of $2.9bn in the first quarter but took a $600m hit to account for a settlement relating to the classification of its UK drivers. [...]
UK to send two Royal Navy boats to protect Jersey after France threatens blockade May 5, 2021 The UK will send in the Royal Navy to protect Jersey after France threatened to cut power to the island if the country’s fishermen are not granted full post-Brexit access to UK waters. Downing Street said the Prime Minister spoke to Chief Minister of Jersey Senator John Le Fondre about the prospect of a blockade. [...]
Raab says G7 countries will together take ‘calibrated’ approach on China May 5, 2021 G7 countries are looking for a “constructive, calibrated approach” to China, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said today, following a meeting in London. Foreign ministers from the G7 group – the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – met today ahead of the official summit that is taking place in Cornwall next [...]
Brexit: UK grants EU ambassador full diplomatic status in end to row May 5, 2021 The UK has today agreed to grant the EU’s post-Brexit ambassador to Britain full diplomatic status in a move that ends a long-running row. In a joint statement, the UK and EU said ambassador João Vale de Almeida would receive “a status consistent with heads of missions of states”. This means he will be given [...]
FTSE 100 ends the day on a high while Dow hits new record May 5, 2021 Heavyweight mining stocks pushed the FTSE 100 higher today while Wall Street opened higher on strong jobs data as the Dow Jones hit a record high. The blue-chip index closed 1.68 per cent higher, buoyed by chemicals group Croda’s shares soaring towards the top of the index after it announced a business review assessment. The [...]
KPMG staff to leave early in the summer as firm embraces hybrid working May 5, 2021 Staff at KPMG will be able to leave early one day a week during the summertime, as the Big Four firm moves to hybrid working post-pandemic. The Big Four firm has finalised its plans for flexible working in a post-pandemic world. KPMG staff will spend on average just two days a week in the office [...]
Britain is sitting on a mountain of debt – but there is a way to climb down May 5, 2021 The UK’s public finances – a source of perennial debate amongst politicians, think tanks, economists and investors – are in focus like never before. Covid-19 has ushered in a period of unprecedented public spending, funded in the main by large amounts of debt. Government borrowing – money it needs to borrow to pay for spending [...]