Outrage growing over alleged Downing Street Christmas party during lockdown as Covid victims’ families hit back December 8, 2021 The latest Downing Street Christmas party development has been called a “bullet to the chest” of families who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. Dr Saleyha Ahsan, from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, told BBC Breakfast this morning the saga was “an example of how the Government have run this from the start: [...]
Consumer spending anxiety on the up as households look to cut back before Christmas December 8, 2021 Brits are growing increasingly anxious about the rising cost of living and are dining out less and shopping in cheaper stores. With food and energy bills on the up, more than one in three are nervous they will be unable to pay for essentials, according to a survey of 2,000 UK adults. Almost half of [...]
Naughty or nice: Big Tech is eyeing up our kids for their Christmas wishlist December 8, 2021 Christmas is coming and the Amazon parcels are gathering in drifts of tech gifts around Christmas trees all over the world. This year, again, Christmas wishes are being realised online as we wonder nervously whether we might be able to visit family for Christmas or if new travel restrictions may thwart Santa’s plans too. Like [...]
City’s dominance looks welcome sign of post-Brexit innovation December 8, 2021 If the capital is a golden goose, it is looking well-stuffed indeed ahead of Christmas. The latest numbers from TheCityUK on the scale of the UK’s financial services industry serve as a healthy reminder of just what a competitive advantage the industry gives both London and the UK more broadly. If anything, the most extraordinary [...]
Major Amazon Web Services outage hits Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ December 7, 2021 Amazon and services including Prime Video and Alexa have been hit by network outages affecting thousands of users.
Asda workers join supermarket strike action threats December 7, 2021 Asda workers have joined Tesco staff in threatening staff action over pay, with both supermarkets anxious to mitigate disruption for shoppers ahead of Christmas. Union GMB is balloting Asda workers over a potential strike after it described the supermarket as “not taking workers seriously” over pay despite “rampant” inflation. The ballot closes on 20 December, [...]
Christmas comes early: November consumer spending up 16 per cent from pre-pandemic December 7, 2021 Consumer card spending grew 16 per cent in November compared to the same period in 2019, with early Christmas shopping giving a boost to retail, hospitality and leisure, according to new data from Barclaycard.
Cost of Christmas turkey rising fast as inflation pushes up food prices December 7, 2021 The cost of a typical turkey Christmas dinner has risen by 3.4 per cent as rocketing inflation pushes up food prices, according to new figures. Kantar said this morning that the average cost of a Christmas meal for four, with a frozen turkey and all the trimmings, is now £27.48. The figures show wider grocery [...]
The big cheese: How old food can sell for crazy prices at auction December 7, 2021 It took two hours for bidding to draw to a close, but it was worth it. The 2.62kg Cabrales cheese left the auction tent at the 2018 Cabrales Cheese Competition to rapturous applause. Cream of the crop, the cheese had caught the attention of 15 restaurateurs from around Spain, each bidder hell-bent on blessing their [...]
Lure of Christmas parties draws workers back into the City December 7, 2021 The lure of Christmas parties has propelled the number of workers in the City to the highest level since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March last year. Traders, brokers and bankers have flocked back to their physical offices in the capital to capitalise on boozy parties that sweep across the City during the festive period. [...]