FTSE 100 falls as fresh lockdowns across Europe dampen economic outlook March 19, 2021 The FTSE 100 fell this morning as fresh Covid-19 lockdowns across Europe dampened hopes of a swift recovery in demand for industrial stocks including energy. London’s blue-chip index sank 1.2 per cent, before recovering slightly to sit 0.6 per cent down at 8.30am. Oil heavyweights BP and Royal Dutch Shell fell 3.2 per cent and [...]
Sadiq Khan: London’s Covid recovery must fight injustice and promote a greener capital March 19, 2021 London has faced many difficult times before, but there’s no doubt that the last year has been one of the most testing, traumatic and turbulent periods in our city’s history. In 1945, Londoners rebuilt and renewed, working together to forge a more equal society from the ruins of war. They wanted to ensure that our [...]
Government offers extension of emergency TfL funding deal until May March 18, 2021 The government has today offered to extend its emergency funding deal with Transport for London (TfL) until May, ensuring that services will be able to continue running. The proposed deal would be TfL’s third bailout in the past year, after the body’s revenue plummeted by more than 90 per cent last March during the first [...]
Reducing TfL service levels risks ‘cycle of decline’ in capital, ministers warned March 18, 2021 Forcing Transport for London to reduce service levels as part of its new bailout package could hamper the capital’s recovery from the pandemic and instigate a “cycle of decline”, a group of London business leaders has said. It came as the transport network warned that it had no more mega-projects planned after current works are [...]
Misogyny to be recorded as a hate crime from autumn March 18, 2021 Police will record misogyny as a hate crime in England and Wales from the autumn, following wide scale protests about the treatment of women in the UK following the murder of Sarah Everard. Home Office minister Baroness Williams said police forces around the country will be instructed to record cases of harassment and stalking as [...]
More than 2,000 TfL bus drivers have caught Covid-19 since October March 17, 2021 More than 2,000 Transport for London (TfL) bus drivers contracted Covid-19 in the four months between October and January, new data from the operator has shown. According to figures collected from the contractors which run the capital’s bus services, 2,017 of around 25,000 drivers caught the virus in that period. The operator only started collecting [...]
Government plans to change mayor of London elections to First Past the Post March 16, 2021 The government has today laid out plans to change voting in the mayor of London election and other local elections to First past the Post like in General Elections. Priti Patel today said the Home Office, Cabinet Office and Ministry of Housing would “change the voting system for all Combined Authority mayors, the mayor of [...]
Half of Londoners think Sadiq Khan has not done enough to improve London’s affordability March 16, 2021 New polling shows more than half of Londoners think Sadiq Khan has not done enough to make London more affordable as his near 10 per cent council tax rise begins to take effect across the capital.
City minister calls for ‘responsible capitalism’ in financial services sector March 16, 2021 The UK’s financial services sector should move toward a more “responsible” form of capitalism that takes into account a broader ranger of interests and not just shareholders, according to City minister John Glen. Glen wrote today that the Square Mile was “ideally placed to showcase this responsible capitalism” through, but that firms should “reject some [...]
London is home to 60 unicorns after record levels of investment last year March 16, 2021 London is now home to 60 companies with unicorn status as the capital cements itself as Europe’s hub for tech investment. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, six London-based companies secured valuations of over $1bn in 2020: Octopus Energy, Arrival, Kazoo, infobip, Gousto and Hopin. And it’s been a strong start to 2021 with an [...]