University of Oxford urged to explain to Jewish students why it accepted £6m donation from Max Mosley November 10, 2021 University of Oxford’s decision to accept £6m from a trust set up by Max Mosley from the inheritance he received from his father, Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, is facing scrutiny. The Education Secretary has said the university ought to explain to Jewish students why it accepted money from the [...]
Adam Boulton to leave Sky News after 33 years November 10, 2021 Legendary broadcaster Adam Boulton is to step away from Sky News after 33 years at the channel. He will step down as the channel’s editor at large and presenter on New Year’s Eve. Boulton was at Sky for its launch in 1989 and has become one of the faces of a channel which began as [...]
Minister backs ban on MPs having second jobs after Paterson scandal November 8, 2021 Government minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has come out in support of a ban on MPs taking on consultancy work ahead of today’s emergency debate. The international trade secretary said she would support a rule change being mulled by the Commons standards committee which would bar MPs from paid lobbying on behalf of commercial interests. The comments come [...]
Senior Tory MP Geoffrey Cox starts £400k-a-year job at City law firm November 8, 2021 Senior Tory Geoffrey Cox has revealed he has started a £400,000-a-year job at a City law firm as parliament prepares to discuss whether MPs should be able to have lucrative second jobs. Cox, a former attorney general, started his new role at multinational law firm Withers LLP on 1 November and will be working 41 [...]
China’s Gopher Investments muscles in on London-listed Playtech takeover November 8, 2021 Gopher Investments, the second-largest shareholder in online gaming and sports betting platform Playtech, has opened talks about a possible takeover. The move follows Playtech giving the green light to gaming technology firm Aristocrat for some 680p per share – or £2.7bn on an enterprise value basis. The discussions are still in their early stages but [...]
Labour to pile more pressure on Boris Johnson as Paterson sleaze saga rolls on November 7, 2021 More pressure will be piled onto Boris Johnson tomorrow over the Conservatives’ record on sleaze and corruption as the scandal over Owen Paterson’s lobbying activities rolls on. There will be a debate in parliament that will see Labour given an opportunity to hammer the government over the saga, which saw Paterson resign on Thursday. Labour [...]
Channel 4 privatisation plans delayed amid growing backlash November 7, 2021 The proposed sale of Channel 4 has met delays after the new culture secretary Nadine Dorries was inundated by a spate of opposition against the move, according to reports. Around 60,000 submissions related to the sale of Channel 4, which is state-owned but independently funded through advertising revenue, were sent to the government, according to [...]
Abrdn in advanced talks to buy Interactive Investor for £1.5bn November 7, 2021 Asset manager Abrdn has set its sights on snapping up DIY stock-picking platform Interactive Investor in a deal worth £1.5bn. Reportedly Abrdn is being advised by bankers at JP Morgan and is in advanced discussions with JC Flowers and Co, the private equity group that has owned a majority stake in Interactive Investor since 2016. [...]
George Eustice says Tory sleaze scandal a ‘Westminster storm in a teacup’ November 7, 2021 This week’s scandal over ex-Tory MP’s Owen Paterson’s breach of lobbying rules is a “Westminster storm in a teacup”, according to environment secretary George Eustice. However, Eustice said the government made “a mistake” in trying to overturn Paterson’s recommended suspension, for earning £100,000 a year as a private sector lobbyist, and dismantle parliament’s standards process. [...]
92 people killed and hundreds injured after oil tanker explodes November 6, 2021 At least 92 people have been killed and hundreds severely injured after an oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone’s capital, officials and witnesses said today. The explosion took place late on Friday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just to the east of Freetown. The mortuary at Connaught Hospital reported 92 [...]