Home working widely adopted but concerns remain about morale May 30, 2021 Most businesses, particularly in the likes of finance and law, were able to offer remote working during the pandemic, however concerns about staff morale and mental wellbeing are still seen as a barrier to make the change permanent. Some two-thirds (66%) of businesses surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) were offering remote working [...]
Boris Johnson announces Royal Yacht Britannia replacement May 30, 2021 Boris Johnson has announced that a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia will be built and operational within four years. Downing Street last night unveiled the plan, which will see the new ship “host high level trade negotiations and trade shows and will sail all over the world promoting British interests” as a part of [...]
Rapid delivery app Gorillas seeks $1bn to fuel international expansion May 30, 2021 Rapid grocery delivery service Gorillas is raising fresh capital that could propel its valuation to more than $5bn just one year after its launch. The Berlin-based unicorn company is raising close to $1bn to fuel international expansion, the Sunday Times first reported. Gorillas, which delivers groceries to customers’ homes within 10 minutes, operates in [...]
EU Brexit chief Sefcovic urges UK to not ‘further sour relationship’ over Northern Ireland May 30, 2021 The EU’s Brexit chief has today warned the UK to not “further sour our relationship” by taking unilateral actions in Northern Ireland as negotiations between the two sides continue. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said the EU is committed to the Good Friday Agreement and not having a hard border on the island of [...]
Boris Johnson marries Carrie Symonds in secret wedding May 30, 2021 Boris Johnson has married his fiancee Carrie Symonds in a clandestine wedding ceremony yesterday at Westminster Cathedral. Johnson surprised SW1 yesterday when it emerged he had wed Symonds in a secretly planned ceremony in which no media was present. The couple released a wedding day picture this morning to celebrate the news. A Downing Street [...]
Ex-BBC Trust boss throws hat in the ring for BT chair May 30, 2021 Rona Fairhead, former BBC Trust chair, could become BT’s first female board boss, according to reports. Fairhead is in the running to succeed Jan du Plessis, who announced his retirement in March, the Telegraph reported. If successful, she will become the first woman to lead BT’s board. The search for a new leader is however [...]
Clucky escape: Nando’s avoids £300m debt default May 30, 2021 Lenders have given Nando’s some breathing space to avoid it defaulting on a £300m debt pile after being hit hard by pandemic-led restrictions. Banks including NatWest, Barclays and Santander have agreed to waive the testing of loan covenants in May, the Telegraph first reported, a move that helped Nando’s avoid defaulting. Covid restrictions have seen [...]
Nationwide to cull 150 mortgage advisers in online shift May 30, 2021 Nationwide will axe up to 150 of its mortgage advisers, as the lender shifts to holding online consultations with borrowers instead of than face-to-face meetings. Many of the 150 mortgage consultants are expected to accept voluntary redundancy, the Mail on Sunday first reported. Nationwide now carries out more than half of its mortgage consultations through [...]
High street could see yet more closures over unpaid rent May 30, 2021 Two-thirds of retailers have been told by landlords that they will be subject to legal measures from July, as an agreement with commercial landlords comes to an end. The high street could see yet more closures in the near future, as from 30 June, a moratorium agreed at the start of the pandemic that prevented [...]
British agents think it is ‘feasible’ Covid came from Wuhan lab leak May 30, 2021 British intelligence agents now reportedly believe it is “feasible” Covid-19 originated in a Chinese research lab and not from a Wuhan wet market. Agents are now investigating whether the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology and accidentally escaped, a prospect forcefully denied by Beijing, just days after Joe Biden said this theory needed [...]
