Natwest vows to boost number of black employees in senior roles October 20, 2020 Natwest has vowed to boost the number of black staff in senior roles from one per cent to three per cent, as the British bank seeks to shake up its image as part of a new racial equality pledge. The boost would bring Natwest’s diversity in line with the black population in England and Wales, [...]
Hospitality sector bangs pots and pans in Parliament Square to call for further government support October 19, 2020 Chefs, farmers, waitresses and caterers took their pots and pans to Parliament Square today to make their calls for further government support for the hospitality sector heard across Westminster. Hundreds of workers from the food and drink industry urged ministers to provide fresh funding to save wide-scale job losses and venue closures, as further restrictions [...]
London hospitality industry marches on parliament – live updates October 19, 2020 Members of the London and UK hospitality industry are staging a protest on Parliament Square, urging the government to revise its policies relating to hospitality venues. Reporter Poppy Wood is down in Westminster: follow live updates and responses here. Update 11:50 Chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton tells City A.M. that “what Boris Johnson has done [...]
G4S rebuffs Gardaworld’s takeover offer as it “significantly undervalues” company October 19, 2020 G4S (GFS) has dismissed Gardaworld’s hostile takeover bid, after the outsourcing giant claimed its 190p per share offer “significantly undervalues the company and its prospects”. In a filing to the London Stock Exchange, G4S said its board had unanimously rejected Canadian rival Gardaworld’s offer because it was “not in the best interests of shareholders or [...]
China’s economy grew 4.9 per cent in third quarter October 19, 2020 China’s economy expanded 4.9 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, missing expectations but storming ahead of other nations still suffering the economic fallout from the pandemic. Chinese GDP continued its recovery between July and September, marking a second consecutive quarter of growth following a 3.2 per cent hike in the second quarter. The return [...]
FTSE 100 slashes executive pensions following shareholder pressure October 17, 2020 Almost all of the companies in the FTSE 100 have pledged to slash executive pension packages in line with their wider workforce, following mounting criticism from shareholders. Research published today by the Investment Association (IA) showed that 98 per cent of FTSE 100 companies analysed have now either aligned the pension payouts of directors with [...]
Government extends TfL funding for two weeks amid emergency bailout talks October 16, 2020 The government has extended its funding package for Transport for London (TfL) for two weeks, as the transport body scrambles to shore up emergency cash ahead of further lockdown restrictions in the capital. A spokesperson for TfL said: “We have today agreed with the government that our funding will be extended for two weeks so [...]
BA and Virgin bag £70m of taxpayer money to fly PPE back from China October 16, 2020 British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been paid more than £70m of taxpayer money to ferry personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK from China, as the government scrambles to stock up supplies in time for winter. BA, which is the second-largest airline in the UK, was handed £46m between May and July through a [...]
Coronavirus: Daily cases in England rise to 27,900 October 16, 2020 Daily coronavirus cases in England have rocketed to 27,900, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking a 10,000 increase since last week’s average. The estimated number of coronavirus cases for the week to 2 October was 17,200, while the average for the week before was 12,600. The ONS said this [...]
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin slams lockdown measures as ‘total chaos’ after pub chain sinks to loss October 16, 2020 JD Wetherspoon shares sank more than 13 per cent this morning as the pub chain swung to a loss for the first time since 1984 during the pandemic. Chairman Tim Martin slammed recent lockdown measures as “total chaos”, after months of closures during the coronavirus crisis hammered the pub group’s sales and revenue. The results [...]
