Kapten and Free Now launch joint service in bid to topple Uber July 16, 2020 Black cab app Free Now and Kapten have today launched their newly combined service in a bid to topple Uber as the country’s biggest ride-hailing company. The new service, which will be available through a new app under the Free Now brand, will give users access to 35,000 drivers in London alone. It is the [...]
Boohoo ‘aware of poor working practices’ in Leicester since 2018, MPs say July 16, 2020 Boohoo was aware of poor working practices at clothing factories in Leicester as early as 2018, MPs have said in a letter to the fast fashion firm. The e-commerce retailer last week launched an independent review of its UK supply chain following allegations of poor conditions and underpayment of workers at the Jaswal Fashions factory [...]
UK unveils plans for frictionless post-Brexit trade between UK nations July 15, 2020 The government will tomorrow outline plans to ensure post-Brexit regulatory alignment on trade across the four UK nations in a bid to ensure frictionless internal trade. The white paper will propose a principle of “mutual recognition” whereby regulations that are set by devolved governments are recognised across the country to allow for internal trade. It [...]
The City View: Jamie Heywood on Uber’s licencing battle July 15, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester is joined by Jamie Heywood, Uber’s General Manager for the UK, Northern and Eastern Europe. They talk about the firm’s licencing battle, how Covid-19 has affected the company and the future of transportation. Electric cars, charging points, the new Uber boat and congestion charging are all on [...]
Chris Grayling loses committee chair vote in Tory rebellion July 15, 2020 Former cabinet secretary Chris Grayling has failed to win the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee, despite being handpicked by Boris Johnson for the role, with fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis instead elected. The ex-transport secretary was expected to be voted into the role, however some Conservative MPs on the committee rebelled and instead [...]
Markets live: FTSE 100 and US stocks soar as vaccine optimism builds July 15, 2020 The FTSE 100 doubled its gains on Wednesday as investor optimism about a coronavirus vaccine grew stronger, also fuelling US and European stocks. London’s blue-chip index climbed as high as 6,241 as it opened trading this morning, following positive trial results of a Moderna vaccine. By 1.30pm the FTSE 100 was up 2.07 per cent [...]
Nearly all SME lending is through emergency coronavirus funding July 15, 2020 The overwhelming majority of lending to SMEs since the outbreak of coronavirus has been through the government’s emergency schemes. A study by debt advisory specialist Altenburg Advisory shows 90 per cent of the £29bn in loans to SMEs in April and May came through the government’s lending schemes. Figures released by the Treasury this week [...]
Rishi Sunak shoots down speculation he will raise capital gains tax July 15, 2020 Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from reports that he is looking at increasing capital gains tax to help pay for the government’s Covid-19 spending. The Treasury announced yesterday it was commissioning the Tax Simplification Office to conduct a study “asking for “evidence to seek views about capital gains tax”, prompting speculation from financial services firms [...]
Vauxhall to restart Ellesmere Port production on 17 August July 15, 2020 Vauxhall has this afternoon announced that production will restart at its plant at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire on 17 August. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PSA-owned firm shuttered the facility, where it builds the Astra model, on 17 March. The announcement came despite reports that the plant would not open again until September at [...]
UK coronavirus death toll rises by 85 July 15, 2020 A further 85 people have died from coronavirus in the UK, the government announced today. It brings the total number of coronavirus associated deaths in the UK to 45,053, according to official Department of Health figures. There have been 538 lab-confirmed UK cases in the past day, bringing the total number to 291,911. It comes [...]
