GB News launch tops ratings despite technical glitches June 14, 2021 GB News raked in bumper viewer numbers for its eagerly-awaited launch last night, eclipsing its news rivals despite a string of technical glitches. The channel, which went live last night with a special welcome programme, pulled in average viewing figures of 164,400 between 7pm and 11pm, equivalent to a 1.1 per cent share. This beat [...]
Hospitality chiefs call for more clarity as ‘freedom day’ set for delay June 14, 2021 The owner of the Franco Manca Pizza chain David Page has warned the “lack of concrete delay” to the government’s lockdown easing roadmap is the biggest problem facing the hospitality sector. Boris Johnson is expected to announce a four week delay to so-called “freedom day” later today, just a week before the 21 June date [...]
Peak times: Ticket for space trip with Jeff Bezos sells for $28m June 14, 2021 A mystery bidder has splashed out $28m (£20m) for a ticket to travel to space with Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. The sky-high bid was made at a live phone auction on Saturday, concluding a lengthy bidding process for a seat on the maiden voyage of the billionaire’s Blue Origin company. Bids reached $20m within four [...]
Boris Johnson plays down UK-EU rift over Northern Ireland at G7 summit June 13, 2021 Boris Johnson has tried to play down tensions between the UK and EU over Northern Ireland, after days of tense exchanges with European leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall. Johnson said at his closing press conference that “the vast majority of the conversations we’ve had over the past three or four days have been [...]
G7 Brexit brawl: Raab hits out at ‘offensive’ Macron comments on Northern Ireland June 13, 2021 Dominic Raab has slammed French President Emmanuel Macron for saying Northern Ireland is not in the UK, calling the comments “offensive” and disrespectful. Multiple media outlets reported yesterday that Macron made the claim during a fiery meeting with Boris Johnson at the G7 summit yesterday. The pair were discussing the UK-EU row over the Northern [...]
Richard Branson to take satellites firm public in $3bn Spac listing June 13, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is in talks to take his satellite launch firm public through a $3bn (£2.1bn) blank-cheque deal. The tycoon is finalising a deal to merge Virgin Orbit with NextGen Acquisition II, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) set up by former Goldman Sachs banker George Mattson, Sky News reported. Branson’s Virgin Group empire [...]
Boris Johnson threatens to rip up Northern Ireland Protocol if EU does not relax checks June 12, 2021 Boris Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend the post-Brexit Northern Ireland treaty if Brussels does not relax customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. Johnson warned that he would “obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16” if “the protocol continues to be applied in this way”. The UK and EU both have the right [...]
GB News takes on LBC with radio station launch June 11, 2021 GB News today announced plans to launch a national radio station as early as next month as the startup puts talk radio rivals such as LBC in its sights. The company is in the final stages of securing a long-term deal for spectrum on the Digital One commercial radio multiplex, which would allow it to [...]
CMC Markets more than doubles profit after surge in new customers June 10, 2021 CMC Markets has reported a record performance, doubling its annual pre-tax profit after a surge of new customers amid the retail trading boom. The online trading firm, founded by tycoon Lord Cruddas, reported a 63 per cent increase in net operating income to £409.8m. Pre-tax profit for the year ended 31 March 2021 came in [...]
CMC Markets to launch new investment platform amid retail trading boom June 9, 2021 CMC Markets is said to be planning the launch of a new retail investment platform as it looks to replicate the success of rivals such as Hargreaves Lansdown. The online trading firm, founded by tycoon Lord Cruddas, will this week unveil plans for a new platform offering access to self-invested personal pensions, ISAs and third-party [...]