Judge says No: Mike Lynch loses High Court battle to delay extradition to US January 26, 2022 British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, who is facing extradition to the US after being accused of fraud, has lost the latest stage of a legal battle. Lynch wants Home Secretary Priti Patel to be given more time to make an extradition decision. He mounted a High Court challenge after a judge who oversaw an extradition [...]
Investment bank warns gas prices could quadruple if Russia invades Ukraine January 26, 2022 Analysts have warned that UK gas prices could increase four-fold to over £10 per therm if flows from Russia are cut off over the coming months.
City barbers snip opening hours in absence of office workers January 25, 2022 Barbers in the City of London say their businesses will never be the same after the uptake of working from home. Businesses have suffered with the absence of City workers getting lunch break trims and after-work blow drys, all while having to pay London rent. Even with Omicron measures to ease this week, barbers said [...]
Met chief Cressida Dick confirms police will investigate Downing Street parties January 25, 2022 The Metropolitan Police is to investigate allegations of lockdown rule-breaking parties at Downing Street. Scotland Yard’s commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told members of the London Assembly that police will probe claims of parties held at Number 10. It comes after the police force has previously stated it would not investigate retrospective reports of breaches. Police [...]
Going Dutch: Motorists who open door with wrong hand to be fined up to £1,000 January 25, 2022 Motorists who open their car’s door with the wrong hand will risk being fined up to £1,000. Under the new High Code’s updates – coming into force from Saturday – motorists are forced to use the ‘Dutch Reach’ manoeuvre, which requires drivers and passengers to get out of their cars using the hand “on the [...]
Marston’s Christmas sales disappoint but restrictions lifting will enable ‘some semblance of normal trade’ January 25, 2022 Marston’s misses out on bountiful Christmas but signs show consumer confidence ‘rebuilding’ Pub operator Marston’s has joined other hospitality chains in reporting a disappointing Christmas trading period, with sales dipping. In a trading update for the 16 weeks to 12 January 2022, total like-for-like sales were down 3.9 per cent compared to the 2019 financial [...]
Russia has made EU threats look full of hot air January 25, 2022 As the EU's supplies shorten, so does its ability to present a united front in the face of the Kremlin's aggression.
Covid-19 curbs decimate London’s retail economy January 24, 2022 Onerous restrictions on daily life during the pandemic has decimated London’s retail economy, reveals a fresh study released today. The capital’s retailers lost nearly a year’s worth of sales during the pandemic, underlining the severe blow curbs on economic activity has delivered to London’s shops, pubs and restaurants, research carried out by the Centre for [...]
December home transactions show ‘strong end to frenzied year’ as markets expected to slow January 21, 2022 According to HMRC data, the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in December 2021 was 100,110. This marks a 20 per cent dip on December 2020 but a 7.6 per cent spike on the prior month. Last year also saw a record level of home transactions of almost 1.5m, the highest since 2007, [...]
High Street takes a Christmas beating as retail sales volumes dropped by nearly 4 per cent in December January 21, 2022 UK retail sales fell in December by 3.7% as the Omicron variant spread and shoppers made Christmas purchases earlier in November due to concerns over supply chain shortages, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes fell by 3.7% for the month, compared with a 1% rise in November. [...]