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 [...]
Exclusive: Lord Mandelson urges UK to block ‘short-sighted’ Arm takeover October 9, 2020 Lord Peter Mandelson has called on the UK to block the planned $40bn takeover of British chipmaker Arm by Nvidia, describing the deal as “short-sighted” and “completely anti-competitive”. The former business secretary told City A.M. that the acquisition was a “direct threat to our security of supply and sovereignty in the UK and Europe”. US [...]
Dominic Chappell evaded tax after buying BHS for £1, court told October 9, 2020 Businessman Dominic Chappell “dishonestly chose” to evade tax on the £2.2m income he received from buying failing retailer BHS for £1, a court heard yesterday. Chappell, who led BHS when it collapsed in 2016, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court on three charges of cheating public revenue relating to him and his bankrupt firm [...]
Downing Street names Allegra Stratton as new press secretary October 8, 2020 Veteran journalist Allegra Stratton has been confirmed as Downing Street’s new press secretary. The newly-created role will see Stratton front No.10’s new daily televised briefings. Stratton currently serves as director of communications at the Treasury. She previously worked as journalist at ITV News, the BBC and The Guardian. The government’s new daily briefings – which [...]
Brexit: UK confirms plans for Kent ‘passport’ for lorry drivers October 8, 2020 The government has confirmed today that lorries entering Kent from other parts of Great Britain will need a special ID from 1 January 2021 and that EU citizens entering the country will need to use a passport when coming to the UK from October. The new “Kent access permit” will be needed for lorry drivers [...]
BoE gives banks all-clear but warns them to keep up support October 8, 2020 The Bank of England has warned lenders that reducing their support to households and businesses “would be costly” for the economy and for banks themselves. It came as the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said the UK’s lenders were strong enough to weather the rest of the coronavirus storm – even if unemployment soared to [...]
UK and EU should reach trade deal, says BoE governor Andrew Bailey October 8, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said he believed the UK and European Union should be able to reach a trade deal. “I do think it is in the interests of both sides – let’s be blunt – to get an agreement,” he said. Read more: BoE’s Andy Haldane warns against ‘Chicken Licken’ economic pessimism [...]
Crypto AM: Blair Halliday of Gemini in conversation with James Bowater October 8, 2020 As access to the crypto market broadens, customers are increasingly conscientious about the exchanges on which they transact. Exchanges are no longer being evaluated purely on factors like volumes traded or trading fees; customers are concerned about which companies take proper care of their funds and their data with effective security and compliance. In fact, [...]
Welcome to the Age of Boycotts, where controversy can be a brand’s best friend October 8, 2020 This summer’s hectic news agenda made corporate boycotts the latest hot fashion accessory — and it’s not a trend that looks likely to die any time soon. But rather than panicking and getting ready to fold to the demands of the online (and offline) mob, companies should reframe the risk of being subject to a [...]
London firms fear losing top talent over coronavirus salary cuts October 8, 2020 The vast majority of London firms are concerned about retaining their top talent as the pandemic forces many employees to take salary cuts. As the pandemic continues to weigh on business activity, over four in five London-based businesses are concerned about losing their top employees, according to new research by recruiter Robert Half. Of the [...]