Crossrail will be ‘mothballed’ without extra funding, TfL chief warns November 21, 2020 The troubled £19bn Crossrail project is at risk of being “mothballed’ unless it receives urgent additional funding, London’s transport chief has warned. Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Andy Byford this week urged the Department for Transport to provide £80m of immediate support to keep the rail link on track, Sky News reported. In a letter [...]
City grandee Michael Spencer pumps £11m into British cyber firm Glasswall November 20, 2020 City titan Lord Michael Spencer is said to be leading a £16m investment in cybersecurity firm Glasswall as he looks to cash in on rising demand for specialist security software. The billionaire Icap founder has agreed to anchor the fundraising round with a £11m cash injection through his private investment vehicle IPGL, Sky News reported. [...]
Coronavirus: R rate falls across UK to between 1 and 1.1 November 20, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus reproduction number has fallen slightly to a maximum of 1.1, according to official figures. The current estimate of Britain’s coronavirus R rate now stands between 1 and 1.1, down from a previous estimate of 1.1 and 1.2. It means on average every 10 people infected will infect between 10 and 11 other [...]
Flattening Covid cases could see families gather at Christmas, says Hancock November 20, 2020 Flattening Covid-19 cases could mean Britain eases its distancing measures to allow families to gather for Christmas, Matt Hancock has said. The health minister is working with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for a UK-wide approach to rules for Christmas. England has been under lockdown for two weeks following a rise [...]
Matt Hancock defends ‘kind’ Priti Patel as Home Secretary comes under fire November 20, 2020 Matt Hancock defends 'kind' Priti Patel as Home Secretary comes under fire
The Week in Sportbiz: Cricket meets hip-hop; Germany exports VAR; and the ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ goes global November 19, 2020 Cricket and hip-hop aren’t obvious bedfellows but they cosied up this week when South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi joined Jay-Z’s talent stable Roc Nation. Ngidi, South Africa’s player of the year in one-day and T20 internationals, is the first cricketer to sign with Roc Nation Sports. Roc Nation has snapped up mostly American athletes, [...]
Test and Trace bosses ‘set out plans to rebuild public trust’ November 19, 2020 Test and Trace bosses have set out plans to “rebuild public trust” among local councils, according to reports, as the contact tracing app this week failed to identify 123,000 positive cases of coronavirus. According to leaked slides seen by Sky News, government officials heading up England’s contact tracing scheme believe they need to “reset” their [...]
Two-thirds of London boroughs launch their own local contact tracing systems November 19, 2020 Almost two-thirds of London boroughs have launched their own contact tracing platforms as confidence in the government’s Track and Trace app continues to plummet. Redbridge and Hammersmith and Fulham today joined a list of 21 out of 32 London boroughs that have snubbed the national system in favour of localised approaches to tackling the virus. [...]
Nightclub owner Deltic asks for rent holiday as it warns of closure November 19, 2020 The UK’s largest nightclub operator has asked for a break from rent payments as it warned of imminent collapse unless a sale can be agreed. Deltic Group, which owns brands including Oceana and Przym, has put itself up for sale after months of closure during the pandemic threatened to force the company into liquidation. But [...]
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund invests in Lloyd’s insurance vehicle Inigo November 19, 2020 A group of investors including Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are reportedly in talks to back the new Lloyd’s of London vehicle Inigo. Earlier this week Enstar and Stone Point Capital announced it had sold certain underwriting assets, including its Lloyd’s Syndicate 1301 and its managing agency, to Inigo. The new company is led by former [...]