Boris Johnson: England on track to lift Covid restrictions on 21 June ‘as things stand’ May 18, 2021 Boris Johnson has said today that England is still on track to lift Covid restrictions on 21 June “as things stand”, but cautioned there will be a more conclusive answer in a few days’ time. He said there was “nothing conclusive in the data” on the spread of the Indian Covid variant “to say we [...]
Phoenix confirms talks ‘ongoing’ to sell European business in £550m deal May 18, 2021 Life insurance consolidator Phoenix Group has confirmed it is in discussions to sell its European businesses, in a deal reportedly worth £550m. The group – which bought out the majority of Standard Life Aberdeen’s insurance business in 2018 – said that talks were ongoing and there was no certainty a deal will be struck. In [...]
Evening Read: The Great Reopening is well under way May 17, 2021 As Reopening Day is slowly maturing, Monday the 17th of May will most likely go down in pandemic history as a day full of positive post-lockdown news, and very mixed weather. From today, people in England can meet outdoors in groups of up to 30, and indoors in groups of six, or two households, with [...]
Green List: Get Viking fit the Icelandic way on the troll peninsula May 17, 2021 I slip away from breakfast early. Outside, the Icelandic sky is still dark, tiny clustered constellations gleaming like antique diamond brooches. I head downstairs, through the womb-like cavern of the spa and slide open the floor-to-ceiling glass door. The breeze needles my cheeks as I ease down into the warmth of the geothermal pool. Steam [...]
Private equity firm buys Gü pudding brand May 17, 2021 Private equity firm Exponent has secured a deal to buy dessert brand Gü from Noble Foods for an undisclosed fee. Gü said the deal will provide investment for the business to expand its current UK production site. Sky News reported last week that Exponent had offered £150m to buy the pudding brand. The company was [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for Londoners to ‘support British businesses’ as restrictions eased May 17, 2021 Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to “support British businesses” and to come back into central London as Covid restrictions are eased further in England today. Khan said people outside the capital should not despair about the limited opportunities to currently travel overseas and that “everything you need is in London”. Tens of thousands of [...]
Bupa Global CEO: We need a serious rethink on how to conduct business travel May 17, 2021 As the long-awaited green list holiday destinations have been unveiled, the airline and associated travel industries must be breathing a sigh of relief. However, whilst the future looks clearer for holidaymakers, the return of business travel has been put on ice over the course of the pandemic. The business travel industry has dealt with many [...]
Easyjet hires headhunters to steer search for new chairman May 15, 2021 Easyjet has hired headhunters to begin the search for the successor to chairman John Barton, who will step down next year. Sky News reported that the budget carrier had hired Lygon Group to conduct the search. Barton, who will step down next May after a full nine year term as the airline’s carrier, has been [...]
Pendragon facing massive shareholder revolt over pay at AGM – report May 14, 2021 Car dealer Pendragon is facing a huge shareholder revolt over its chief executive’s bonus package at next week’s annual general meeting (AGM). According to Sky News, several of the firm’s directors could be voted off the board in protest over the renumeration of its executives. It reported that remuneration committee chair Mike Wright was looking [...]
The UK’s lifting of restrictions could be delayed if variants and infections surge, minister says May 14, 2021 Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has warned today that there could be a delay in June’s lifting of restrictions if variants or infection rates become a problem. To avoid a postponement of the well-anticipated 21 June, Zahawi told LBC: “The way we don’t have to do that is by everybody doing their bit, by taking the [...]