Pressure grows on Boris Johnson to expel ex-Tory deputy chief whip Chris Pincher after bizarre drunken assault July 1, 2022 Pressure is growing on Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning to expel the former Tory deputy chief whip from the party after he dramatically quit following a drunken incident. Chris Pincher, who was responsible for maintaining discipline among Conservative MPs, said he had “embarrassed myself and other people” after having had “far too much” to [...]
Business rates have made American candy stores a blight on our streets July 1, 2022 The emergence of large numbers of American-styled candy stores across the West End over the last year has become a cause for concern amongst high street retailers, leisure businesses and hospitality owners alike. Having weathered the storms of the pandemic, which saw footfall and revenues plummet during lockdowns, the West End was beginning to show [...]
Government hosts roundtables with industry leaders as it pushes for carbon capture expansion June 30, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng hosted a roundtable with industry leaders and investment groups today amid a Government push for carbon capture technology.
Boots posts uplifted sales as owner Walgreens shelves plans for £5.5bn auction June 30, 2022 Boots has posted buoyant quarterly retail sales after its parent company abandoned plans to sell the chemist this week. In third quarter results, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) stated profit was down on last year but had surpassed Wall Street expectations. The retail pharmacy giant posted adjusted earnings of $0.83bn or $0.96 per share for the [...]
Adding agency workers into the strikes row will nurture a prolonged political headache June 30, 2022 Last week, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, defended plans to allow businesses to use agency staff to plug gaps caused by striking workers. For the unions, this is tantamount to cutting them off at the knees. Britain’s workforce has changed fundamentally since the law in question was introduced, in 2003. Agency workers are now part [...]
London’s hotel mojo is back as occupancy rates climb albeit pandemic recovery remains ‘uphill battle’ June 29, 2022 Recovering occupancy rates and food and beverage sales are rapidly powering a recovery in the London hotel market, albeit slower than the industry had anticipated. For the first time since prior to the pandemic, occupancy rates in London are now exceeding the rest of the UK, at 66.9 per cent, overtaking UK rates of 68.4 [...]
London markets follow Wall Street lower as rate hike jitters ramp up June 29, 2022 London markets followed their Wall Street counterparts lower today as investors fretted over the pace of rate hikes by central banks to tame inflation. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.44 per cent to 7,291.48 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]
BEIS Select Committee raises alarm bells over UK’s ‘dire’ climate progress report June 29, 2022 BEIS has raised alarm bells over a key report on Government’s progress to net zero, deeming it "dire", and "catastrophic for the country/
Wonks divided over plans to exclude fossil fuel plants from emissions checks June 28, 2022 Analysts are split over the Government's reported decision to halt emissions checks on fossil fuel plants ahead of winter.
Kwarteng plays down prospect of blackouts this winter amid supply crunch fears June 28, 2022 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has played down the prospect of a winter blackout, dismissing the scenario as an "extreme possibility."