Boris Johnson to force all new UK buildings to install EV charging points November 21, 2021 Owners of newly built homes and commercial buildings will be forced to install electric vehicle charging points from next year under new regulations to be announced by Boris Johnson tomorrow. The new regulations, which Downing Street says will lead to 145,000 extra charge points installed across England each year, will also extend to properties “undergoing [...]
Founder of tech firm where David Cameron chaired advisory board steps down after sexual assault claims November 19, 2021 The founder of a tech group at which former prime minister David Cameron was an adviser has stepped down amid allegations of sexual harassment. Zia Chishti, who founded Afiniti, was accused this week of pressuring a former employee into having sex with him on a business trip, when it was also alleged he beat her. [...]
Markets spit out Metro Bank as private equity giant Carlyle walks away from takeover talks November 18, 2021 US private equity giant Carlyle has walked away from talks to buy British high street lender Metro Bank, prompting markets to spit out the lender. Its shares plummeted over 19 per cent today. However, they are still above where they were before Metro Bank announced it was being courted by Carlyle. However, that take did [...]
London businesses hold out hope for bumper Christmas trade November 18, 2021 Three in 10 businesses anticipate this Christmas will be their most successful in the past five years, according to exclusive data from Barclaycard. Some 54 per cent of firms said they felt neutral or optimistic about the UK economy, meaning worries rage on for many businesses across the city. However, Barclaycard’s fourth quarter barometer found [...]
Boris Johnson admits ex-MP Owen Paterson broke Westminster lobbying rule November 17, 2021 Boris Johnson has today admitted Owen Paterson broke Westminster’s lobbying rules, just two weeks after his government tried to get the ex-MP off the hook for a recommended 30-day suspension. Johnson told parliament’s Liaison Committee today that “there’s no question [Paterson] had fallen foul of the rules on paid advocacy as far as I could [...]
Swelling energy bills propel inflation to 4.2 per cent, more than double Bank of England’s target November 17, 2021 Swelling household energy bills have propelled inflation to more than double the Bank of England’s target, dialling up pressure on the Old Lady to act to hose down red-hot price rises. Inflation scaled to 4.2 per cent in October, up sharply from 3.1 per cent in the previous month, according to the Office for National [...]
Exclusive: The pandemic showed the limitations of an online-only model, says retail guru November 17, 2021 A year of enforced change in buying habits where pretty much everything went online has reverted to ‘the new normal’. The Covid pandemic accelerated the shift to online; but is the future of retail really digital only? While in the short to medium term, there will remain some concerns over the logistics of browsing and [...]
Home Secretary’s behaviour faces renewed scrutiny as Priti Patel bullying case reaches London’s High Court November 17, 2021 Senior judges at the High Court will hear today a legal challenge over the Prime Minister’s decision to stand by the Home Secretary following accusations of bullying. The FDA union launched judicial review proceedings in February over Boris Johnson’s decision last year to disregard the findings of his adviser on ministerial standards in order to [...]
Jacob Rees-Mogg admits blame in Owen Paterson saga in wake of sleaze scandal November 16, 2021 Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted he, and not Boris Johnson, was behind the government’s attempt to protect ex-MP Owen Paterson from facing punishment for his breach of Westminster lobbying rules. The leader of the House of Commons today said “I encouraged the Prime Minister to go down this route and I was wrong, I made a [...]
The high streets of the UK need to be able to woo global shoppers to stay competitive November 16, 2021 Alongside true love and compound interest, habit is one of the most powerful forces. The familiar click of the Christmas lights brought people back to London’s streets last week, with 2.5 per cent more people treading down the high street. But with the pandemic came new habits and the fairy lights will be switched off [...]