City law firms repay furlough cash following strong business during pandemic October 14, 2020 Several large British law firms have handed back government furlough cash after seeing stronger-than-expected business during the pandemic. Square Mile-based firms Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke and Herbert Smith Freehills have all paid back wage subsidies handed out by the chancellor, following strong demand for their legal services during the coronavirus crisis. Chancellor Rishi Sunak [...]
UK’s £225bn professional services industry risks ‘catastrophic’ hit from Brexit October 14, 2020 Britain’s £225bn professional services industry has been ignored by the government and is under “catastrophic” threat of losing business to the EU post-Brexit, a parliamentary committee has warned. A House of Lords’ EU services subcommittee report published yesterday said the UK’s accountants, lawyers, recruiters, architects and advertisers are under risk of losing contracts and jobs [...]
More than half of London businesses ‘are not prepared’ for local lockdown October 13, 2020 Almost 60 per cent of London businesses have no plan in place for a local lockdown, according to new research, as the London mayor today warned the capital could see tighter restrictions within the next few days. Only 41 per cent of companies in the capital currently have a plan in place to deal with [...]
Finsbury Circus Gardens to become ‘City haven’ in major facelift October 13, 2020 The City’s largest open space is set to undergo a major revamp to transform it into a “haven for people and wildlife”, the City of London Corporation announced today. Finsbury Circus Gardens, London’s oldest public park, will see a new “secret garden”, urban forest and multi-purpose garden pavilion transform it into an “active cultural hub” [...]
City to shift €150bn of UK assets into France ahead of Brexit October 13, 2020 Firms have begun shifting around €150bn (€135bn) of UK assets from the City into France ahead of the Brexit transition period deadline, according to the governor of the Bank of France. Francois Villeroy de Galhau told the Europlace International Financial Forum that the Bank of France has authorised asset shifts by 32 companies — mostly [...]
Tiktok crashes across UK, Europe, Middle East and Australia October 12, 2020 Tiktok has crashed across the UK, Europe, Australia, and parts of the Middle East, with thousands of users reporting problems connecting to the video platform
Astrazeneca partners up with Thailand for vaccine manufacture in Southeast Asia October 12, 2020 Thailand has announced it will partner up with Astrazeneca to scale up production of its potential coronavirus vaccine, as the pharmaceuticals company seeks to strengthen manufacture of the drug further afield. The Thai Ministry of Public Health today said it will roll out “large scale manufacturing” of the potential Covid vaccine at Siam Bioscience in [...]
Mayor warns London faces new restrictions ‘very soon’ October 12, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that the capital faces fresh lockdown restrictions “very soon” to quell a rapid rise in infections. Khan said it is “highly likely” that Londoners will face further measures to stem the spread of the virus ”because cases are rising so quickly across the city”. It comes as the number [...]
Coronavirus: Hospitality industry to take legal action over local lockdowns October 12, 2020 Britain’s hospitality industry is set to take legal action against new lockdown restrictions around the country that it said will have “catastrophic” consequences for the sector. The industry’s biggest trade bodies will today hand Downing Street a legal challenge to the emergency legislation, as the government prepares to announce a new three-tier system that will [...]
Major Tory donor, head of Garden Bridge and Brexit advisers receive top gongs in Queen’s Birthday Honours list October 9, 2020 One of the largest Conservative party donors, the head of the failed £40m Garden Bridge and 10 Brexit advisers were among the senior figures to receive awards in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Tony Gallagher, who has donated almost £4m to the Conservative party over the last 13 years, was awarded a knighthood for [...]
