Arlene Foster resigns as Northern Ireland First Minister April 28, 2021 Arlene Foster has today announced she is resigning as Northern Ireland First Minister and as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Foster said in a statement this afternoon that she will step down on 28 May. It comes after a letter calling for her to face a leadership challenge was yesterday signed by around [...]
London used as ‘money-laundering base’, mafia trial prosecutor says April 28, 2021 In Italy’s largest mafia trial in three decades, the UK’s capital has been roped in as a potential hotspot for organised crime, particularly post-Brexit. The trial will see around 900 witnesses testify against more than 350 ’Ndrangheta defendants, including politicians and officials charged with being members of Italy’s most powerful criminal group. Defendants are set [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? April 28, 2021 City A.M.‘s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Cazoo bolsters board after $7bn NYSE listing After its $7bn New York Stock Exchange listing through its AJAX merger, UK online car retailer Cazoo has confirmed that a new non-executive director [...]
European Parliament calls Brexit a ‘historic mistake’ before voting for trade deal April 28, 2021 The European Parliament has voted to ratify the EU’s post-Brexit trade deal with Britain, but not before branding Brexit a “historic mistake”. MEPs overwhelmingly approved the deal, with 660 votes to five and 32 abstentions, in a result announced this morning. The deal was provisionally ratified by the 27 EU ambassadors in December to ensure [...]
Food prices drop for first time in four years due to anti-stockpiling measures in 2020 lockdown April 28, 2021 Food prices fell this month for the first time in four years in comparison to last year, when retailers paused discounting to reduce stockpiling at the beginning of the pandemic. Prices fell 0.6 per cent in April, down from a rise of 0.3 per cent in March, marking the first time food prices have been [...]
Westminster report praises Brexit deal for maintaining Northern Ireland cross-border security April 28, 2021 A new Westminster report has praised the government’s Brexit trade deal for “putting to rest” concerns about cross-border safety in Northern Ireland. The report, from parliament’s Northern Ireland Affairs Committee said the deal “mitigated concerns about extradition processes and intelligence blind spots”. The UK-EU trade deal ensured “the need for strong cooperation between national police [...]
Exclusive: Remote working is just as effective, but it can hurt pay and promotion, HR execs warn April 27, 2021 As the City is gradually coming out of lockdown, a range of large companies and financial institutions announced in recent weeks that hybrid working is here to stay. HSBC became the latest big financial services firm to confirm it is making some sweeping structural changes to its working pattern as it adjusts to the post-pandemic [...]
Mayor of London election: Minor candidates create a race within a race April 27, 2021 This year’s mayor of London election has set a record for the most ever candidates – a 20-strong field of career politicians, chancers, grifters, oddballs, cranks, culture warriors and earnest small party hopefuls. The race itself has provided little interest for the public at large, with a Sadiq Khan victory a foregone conclusion at a [...]
Pandemic legacy: This is just the beginning for online shopping as sector sees five years of growth in 12 months April 27, 2021 The vast majority of UK consumers who bought online for the first time during the pandemic will continue to buy online, despite the High Street having reopened earlier this month. The pandemic is the main reason for this shift, with 56 per cent of clothes shoppers telling digital marketing agency MullenLowe Profero they bought more [...]
Arlene Foster on verge of facing DUP leadership challenge April 27, 2021 Arlene Foster is on the verge of being removed as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and Northern Ireland’s First Minister in a move that could jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement and the Brexit treaty’s Northern Ireland Protocol. An estimated 75 per cent of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have [...]