David Davis: Huawei deal is ‘worst intelligence decision since Cambridge Five’ February 23, 2020 Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis has lambasted the government’s 5G deal with Chinese tech firm Huawei, branding it the “worst intelligence decision since MI6’s recruitment of Kim Philby”. Davis, who served as Brexit secretary under Theresa May, warned the verdict posed a huge risk to national security and likened it to the appointment of [...]
Mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita wants to ‘Love London Better’ February 22, 2020 For a brief moment in 2019, the Liberal Democrats looked a serious chance of upending Britain’s two-party political hegemony. After years in the political wilderness, the party rode a wave of Brexit uncertainty and parliamentary division to top Westminster YouGov polling in late May, eliciting cries of jubilation from long suffering Lib Dem supporters. It’s [...]
Brexit: Blue passports to return from March 2020 February 22, 2020 British passports will return to their original blue colour for the first time since 1988 from next month, when the UK government will issue the first blue passports since the Brexit vote. The first blue passports will be issued from early March and from mid-2020 all new passports issued to Brits will be blue. The [...]
Why global cities could be more valuable than high-performing tech stocks February 21, 2020 The most successful company strategies over the last few years all have one thing in common – a data-driven operating platform. Companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google (the so-called FANG stocks) are able to create a significant informational advantage when they use data collected from their platforms. The quantity and quality of this [...]
PMI data picks up the pound February 21, 2020 Manufacturing output grew at its fastest pace for 10 months, giving sterling a boost against other major currencies this morning. Recovering losses against EUR & USD, the latest flash Purchasing Manufacturing Index (PMI) data today announced that UK output rose 51.9, up from 50.0 in January. The question for many investors is whether the post-election [...]
UK PMI: Manufacturing grows at fastest rate in 10 months despite coronavirus February 21, 2020 UK manufacturing grew at its fastest rate in 10 months in February, according to a flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reading, but services fell to a two-month low. According to IHS Markit / CIPS data, manufacturing hit 52.8, up from January’s final rate of 50.1, whilst services fell to 53.3, down from 53.9 last month. [...]
Hornby eyes £15m raise for ‘solid foundation’ February 21, 2020 Model train maker Hornby is seeking to raise £15m today as it seeks a “solid foundation” to build on with brands like Airfix and Scalextric. It will do that by issuing almost 42m new shares at 36p each, with chief executive Lyndon Davies saying: “The strengthening of our balance sheet provides a solid foundation for [...]
Britain stands to lose more than its Marbles if it folds now February 21, 2020 There’s a new pawn in the game of Brexit chess — 17 pawns, in fact, life-size and made of marble, plus 247 feet of sculpted frieze. The EU sparked a panic this week, when its draft negotiating mandate revealed a clause concerning the need to address “issues relating to the return or restitution of unlawfully [...]
Barclays forgot about the humans in HR February 21, 2020 Barely a day goes by without a think tank, employers’ group or minister talking about the need to improve the productivity or British business, and while this generally conjures up images of factory floors it’s reassuring to know that investment banks are also searching for elusive gains. How else to explain the decision by Barclays [...]
Pension funds usher in new voting climate February 21, 2020 Libor settlements, the use of Mervyn King’s eyebrow to fire a chief executive, a boss embroiled in a whistleblowing scandal: Barclays is used to finding itself cast as the City’s guinea pig. Shareaction’s climate change resolution, to be voted on at the bank’s annual general meeting in May, is the latest example. The pressure group [...]