Plans to house asylum seekers in military bases and barges as government pushes ahead to ‘discourage’ small boat crossings March 29, 2023 Asylum seekers will be housed in disused military bases, ferries and barges under government plans to reduce spending on hotels. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick is expected to announce the use of two RAF sites as he tries to reduce the £6.8m a day the government says it spends on hotel accommodation. The plans are likely [...]
Supermarket wars: Lidl and Aldi gain ground on Tesco as bargain-hunting Brits battle grocery inflation March 28, 2023 Lidl is the UK’s fastest growing supermarket as bargain-hunting Brits turn to the discount grocer during the cost of living crisis. With grocery inflation now at 15 per cent, new figures published by Kantar this morning show value outlets have seen an uptick in sales last month. Sales in the German supermarket Aldi rose 25.8 [...]
Cath Kidston: Next looks set to pick up troubled vintage staple March 28, 2023 High street giant Next is reportedly in talks to pick up the vintage-inspired Cath Kidston chain. According to reports from Sky News’ Mark Kleinman late on Monday evening, Next – which has been on an acquisition spree in recent months, picking up Made.com and Joules – is set to add the brand to its growing [...]
Food inflation soars to record 15 per cent as sugar price hike leaves retailers warning of more misery to come March 28, 2023 Shop price inflation is yet to reach its “peak” as the rising cost of sugar and high manufacturing costs present a double whammy ahead of crucial Easter trade, a leading retail body has warned. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) shop price index showed annual inflation accelerated to 8.9 per cent in March, up from 8.4 [...]
Saudi National Bank chair resigns after bank loses $1.2bn in Credit Suisse investment March 27, 2023 Chair of Saudi National Bank (SNB) Ammar Al Khudairy stepped down today after the bank chalked up a $1.2bn loss on its investment in Credit Suisse. SNB said in a statement that Al Khudairy had resigned for “personal reasons” and the current chief executive, Saeed Mohammed Al Ghamdi, will takeover as chair of the lender. [...]
Ukraine war ‘second front’ as Putin moves to store nukes in Belarus March 27, 2023 The world should prepare for a “second front” to open up in the Ukraine war as Vladimir Putin moves to store nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia’s president claimed he agreed with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko to station tactical nuclear warheads on its territory. Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of “nuclear blackmail” and demanded an emergency [...]
MPs should ‘put public service first’ after second jobs sting, Michael Gove says March 26, 2023 Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove said today that MPs must “put public service first” after undercover reporting revealed a handful of MPs were willing to provide advice to a foreign company in return for sizeable fees. Politicians Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng were left red-faced after anti-Brexit campaign group Led By Donkeys released footage of them [...]
Women’s Football Weekend: Big crowds with WSL stars on show March 25, 2023 Today sees the continuation of Women’s Football Week in England, where women’s domestic football takes precedence in the calendar with the men’s game is enjoying its international break. Multiple Women’s Super League (WSL) clubs move from their usual stadiums to the bigger, men’s equivalent but, as is the direction women’s football is heading at the [...]
What sport is on the TV this weekend? March 24, 2023 This weekend in sport sees cricket, rugby, football, golf and horse racing grace our screens. Here’s what you need to watch. Cricket: Women’s premier League eliminator – Friday The inaugural Women’s Premier League, the sibling of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket has been a smash hit on the subcontinent with thousands turning out to [...]
Succession star Brian Cox opened financial markets at London Stock Exchange March 24, 2023 Succession star Brian Cox swapped TV for LSE this morning, as the actor behind Logan Roy opened the London Stock Exchange. Ahead of the much-vaunted fourth and final season of the show on 27 March, the Scottish actor opened financial markets accompanied by a musical quartet playing the series’ iconic theme tune. Speaking after opening [...]