Brits must prepare for ‘significant rail disruption’ into January due to strikes December 27, 2022 Rail passengers have been warned to prepare for “significantly disrupted” travel into the New Year amid a wave of industrial unrest sweeping across the country. The Network Rail warning came as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at CrossCountry staged a 24-hour strike from 9pm on Boxing Day as part of a long-running campaign for [...]
Number of takeovers and mergers halved in 2022 but ‘bargain basement prices’ to turn tide in 2023 December 27, 2022 The number of big takeovers and mergers involving UK-listed companies nearly halved this year as investors were deterred by market volatility, political instability and recession fears. But the tide is set to turn in 2023, with buyers eyeing up quality British companies trading at “bargain prices”, experts said. There were 49 bids for London-listed firms [...]
King Charles’ Christmas message breaks TV viewing records December 26, 2022 King Charles’ first ever Christmas message has broken TV viewing records, becoming the most watched Christmas speech by a monarch since official records began two decades ago. The King’s speech was also the most popular Christmas TV programme on Christmas Day, with a combined audience of over 10 million viewers. It was almost double as [...]
Boxing Day trains: Cancellations leave football fans and shoppers facing chaos December 26, 2022 Shoppers hoping for a Boxing Day bargain could face traffic jams as rail strikes see train services brought to a halt. Thousands of people planning to travel by train have been forced to make alternative plans amid continued industrial action. Hundreds of departures usually run on December 26 after the Christmas Day shutdown. But Network [...]
Insulating our leaky homes now would be a sensible investment for this Conservative government to make December 26, 2022 As Rishi Sunak stood in Downing Street after becoming prime minister, he made a major promise. “The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves”, he said. That’s why the recent announcement from the Chancellor to make [...]
The Christmas Day Quiz: City A.M. tests out your grey matter December 24, 2022 It’s the Christmas Quiz you’ve been waiting for! Each year City A.M. publishes Deloitte’s economics team’s festive brainteasers, produced as part of their regular Monday briefing. Grab a pen – the answers are at the bottom, and come packed with plenty of extra details… 1. The nineteenth century Scottish historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle dubbed [...]
Commuter misery: Regulated rail fares to rise by up to 5.9 per cent from next spring December 22, 2022 Rail fares in England are set to surge as much as 5.9 per cent from spring next year, after calls for a fare freeze have fallen on deaf ears. Regulated fares will go up from 5 March, with the Department for Transport calling this “the biggest-ever government intervention” in prices for train tickets. However, campaigners [...]
As winter tightens its grip, businesses can’t afford to ignore the disability pay gap a second longer December 22, 2022 If a job description had mentioned that you would have had to work the final 54 days of this year unpaid, you would have likely turned it down. But this is the reality that people with disabilities in the UK have been facing in 2022. The disability pay gap works out to the equivalent of [...]
Campaigners warn hiking rail fares could push people away from train travel December 21, 2022 Even a below inflation increase in rail fares could put people off travelling by train altogether, according to campaigners. Norman Baker, director of external affairs at advocacy group Campaign for Better Transport, told City A.M. that any increase to ticket prices will come “as a further blow to long-suffering passengers” after months “of cancellations and [...]
Brits untroubled by rising mortgage rates as property transactions rise December 21, 2022 Monthly property transactions have increased across the UK and returned to pre-pandemic levels despite the ongoing cost of living crisis. Today, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published statistics indicating that monthly property transactions in the UK above £40,000 have increased consecutively over the past nine months. Frances McDonald, research analyst at Savills said: “In light [...]