RSM pays back £4.4m furlough cash December 16, 2020 Audit challenger firm RSM has repaid £4.4m to the government, having decided to do so in a board meeting earlier this month, City A.M can reveal. RSM’s board made the decision to repay the the money in full on 8 December. CEO Rob Donaldson said the firm did not see the decision as an opportunity [...]
Quarter of UK pubs feared closing for good even before new lockdown December 16, 2020 More than a quarter of UK pub and bar-owners said they feared their business would fail even before the latest lockdowns in London and the south east. Figures from the UK’s statistics body showed that 27.9 per cent of pub and bar businesses said they had low or no confidence in surviving the next three [...]
Supreme Court gives Heathrow third runway the green light December 16, 2020 The Supreme Court has this morning ruled that Heathrow’s controversial third runway expansion plans can go ahead. The verdict means that the UK’s highest court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s February decision to block the £14bn project on environmental grounds. However, in a year in which air travel has plummeted to historic lows due [...]
UK businesses return to growth in December after lockdowns December 16, 2020 The UK’s businesses clawed their way back to growth in December after the England-wide lockdown hit the economy in November, a new survey has shown, although conditions were better in manufacturing than the all-important services sector. An early reading of the IHS Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – a closely watched economic gauge – rose [...]
Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
UK inflation drops to 0.3 per cent as clothes and food prices sink December 16, 2020 The UK’s inflation rate fell sharply to 0.3 per cent as food and clothes prices eased during England’s month-long lockdown, according to the latest official figures. The headline CPI rate sank from 0.7 per cent in October to 0.3 per cent in November, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. Clothes and footwear [...]
Before the Bell: Flash PMIs and Federal Reserve in focus December 16, 2020 The pound had a pretty good day yesterday as optimism grows that a UK/EU deal on trade could well be within reach after some positive comments from Irish PM Micheal Martin. “While we’ve been here many times before, the prospect of an imminent deadline can help concentrate minds, and despite some push back over fear [...]
Bank of England set to hold policy amid Brexit and lockdown uncertainty December 16, 2020 The Bank of England is set to leave interest rates on hold when it announces monetary policy tomorrow, according to analysts, after expanding its bond-buying programme sharply last month. Economists said there was little reason for the Bank to act. The latest lockdown measures have not been as damaging as feared, while the BoE asset-purchase [...]
Shakespeare: John Lewis ad tugs at our purse strings December 16, 2020 John Lewis’ Christmas advert is undoubtedly a highlight of the festive season for many, with the retail department store’s commercial broadcast increasing in budget, production value and celebrity soundtracks every year. However, as with many things this year, there was uncertainty as to whether there would even be an advert. According to Waitrose’s executive director, [...]
Businesses can really make a difference — and this Christmas they’re needed more than ever December 16, 2020 The impact of the pandemic has brought unprecedented change to how we live and work. It has also led to a greater appreciation of the things we sometimes take for granted: family, food, health, employment. We have been put under strain in so many ways. In turn, people have risen to the challenge, demonstrating resilience, [...]