Shard Times at the Shangri-La October 22, 2019 The Shangri-La hotel at the top of the Shard has revealed it booked a £56.2m pre-tax loss last year, driven by an impairment charge from writing down the value of its assets following years of weak results. Occupying floors 34 to 52 of the Shard, it is the tallest hotel in western Europe and swung [...]
Sanjeev Gupta in fresh talks over British Steel bid October 21, 2019 Sanjeev Gupta is in fresh talks with the government about buying British Steel as concerns mount over a potential deal backed by Turkey’s military pension fund. Gupta’s Liberty House Group restarted discussions in recent days about a potential deal to buy the steel company ahead of the expiry date this week of an exclusivity period [...]
Julian Assange’s lawyer warns of kidnap plot as court denies extradition delay October 21, 2019 A lawyer for Julian Assange has accused the US of trying to “kidnap and harm” the Wikileaks founder, as a judge denied a request to delay his extradition. Assange is facing extradition to the US where he is wanted for 18 charges including spying and conspiring to hack government computers. Read more: Julian Assange extradition [...]
Global launches 24-hour rolling news radio station LBC News October 21, 2019 Media group Global has launched a new 24-hour radio station to provide rolling news coverage as it looks to tap into growing listener appetite for round-the-clock updates. LBC News will provide UK and world news, as well as business, travel, sport and weather. The new station will replace LBC London News, which currently broadcasts in [...]
Brexit latest: Minister hits out at customs union as DUP backs off October 21, 2019 Any attempt to tweak Boris Johnson’s deal to include remaining in the customs union would be “procedural tricks” aimed at blocking Brexit, a minister at the Treasury has said. Speaking to the Today programme this morning, Rishi Sunak said anyone wanting to “amend legislation are ultimately wanting to frustrate, delay or cancel Brexit altogether, and [...]
RBS retail chief to exit after ten years with bank October 20, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland’s retail banking chief executive is preparing to leave the lender as new boss Alison Rose completes her senior leadership team. Les Matheson, who joined RBS in 2010 and became personal banking chief executive in 2014, is planning to leave the bank in the coming months, Sky News reported. Read more: Alison [...]
Brexit: Government sticks firm to its October 31 deadline October 20, 2019 Senior cabinet ministers are insisting the UK will leave the European Union on 31 October, despite the prime minister’s letter to Brussels requesting an extension. Boris Johnson was forced by parliament to send the letter – which he left unsigned – to Brussels asking for an extension last night. It was accompanied by a second [...]
Boris Johnson’s deal is on a knife edge as Angela Merkel calls on EU to support Brexit delay October 18, 2019 Angela Merkel is said to have told other EU leaders a Brexit extension would be inevitable should MPs reject Boris Johnson’s withdrawal deal. The German Chancellor told fellow European leaders they could not pretend there would be no extension if the UK requested one, according to reports. Read more: PM Johnson scrambles to save Brexit [...]
Asda offloads pensions in £4bn deal as it eyes stock market float October 17, 2019 Asda owner Walmart is said to have secured a deal to offload £4bn of the UK supermarket’s pension liabilities as it looks to clear the path for a potential stock market listing. Read more: Asda employees stage fresh protests over contract changes Walmart and Asda’s pension trustees have agreed a £3.8bn buy-in with specialist insurance [...]
Jeremy Corbyn is deluded if he thinks Labour is remotely ready for an election October 17, 2019 When Jeremy Corbyn told Labour members last week that “we’re ready and chomping at the bit for an election”, one can only assume that he was using the royal we. With the exception of the leader, it’s hard to find anyone in Labour who believes that the party is anywhere near ready for an election [...]