Natwest launches fingerprint payment trial for contactless card purchases March 11, 2019 Natwest will trial fingerprint payment technology to allow customers to make purchases worth more than £30 when using their contactless card. The trial, which will begin in the next few weeks, will allow shoppers to verify payments above the £30 contactless limit using their fingerprint rather than having to enter their Pin number. Read more: [...]
Advertising industry group hits back in row over junk food ad bans March 7, 2019 Restrictions on junk food adverts have a huge economic impact and fail to address the problem of childhood obesity, the advertising industry body has said. In a report published today the Advertising Association (AA) states children’s exposure to adverts for products with high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) contents has declined in recent years, yet [...]
Crossrail boss refuses to give railway opening date but ‘very much wants’ 2020 launch March 6, 2019 Crossrail's new chief executive has refused to confirm any date for when the railway will open, saying only that the company "very, very much wants to get this done in 2020". Addressing Westminster's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today, Mark Wild said Crossrail's next update, due in April, would provide a "window" of opening dates rather [...]
Mars, Mondelez and Kellogg’s hit with advert bans over inappropriate targeting March 6, 2019 Food brands Mars, Mondelez and Kellogg’s have all been handed down advert bans after the watchdog ruled they had inappropriately targeted children and exaggerated health claims. Mars was censured over an advert for its Wrigley’s Extra chewing gum, which featured on Channel 4’s on-demand service. Read more: Sky Incredibles advert banned over superfast Wi-Fi claims [...]
Sky Incredibles Wi-Fi advert banned after BT and Virgin lodge complaints March 6, 2019 An advert for Sky broadband has been banned after rivals BT and Virgin argued it made misleading claims about the company’s ability to boost home Wi-Fi networks. The advert, which featured characters from the hit animated film The Incredibles 2, depicted a Sky employee boosting Wi-Fi throughout the house using just a tablet. Read more: [...]
Sadiq Khan’s junk food advertising ban will hurt TfL and marketers, but fail to fight childhood obesity March 4, 2019 Last week, a divisive political leader brought an end to a scourge that threatened our everyday society. No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, whose summit with Kim Jong-un unfortunately failed to achieve the denuclearisation of North Korea. I’m talking instead about London mayor Sadiq Khan, whose ban on junk food advertising on the Transport [...]
Looking for space for homes in the capital? Build over rail lines March 4, 2019 A new survey of housebuilders published last week by construction consulting and design agency McBains is depressing reading for Londoners looking to get a foot on the housing ladder. Although two thirds of housebuilders in London reported that they had built more homes over the last 12 months, those that stated a decrease cited a [...]
Crossrail: Bond Street station work ‘could slip beyond 2019’ February 28, 2019 Completion of Crossrail's Bond Street station could slip to "late 2019 or even beyond", Transport for London (TfL) has admitted. New TfL papers reveal that none of the Crossrail stations are fully complete and that Bond Street, regarded as one of the more complex stations to fit out, would either be finished at the end of [...]
Crossrail 2 set to cost taxpayers £41.3bn, reveals London mayor February 27, 2019 Crossrail 2 is set to cost over £40bn, the Mayor of London has revealed in a budget document published earlier this week. The £41.3bn estimate for the proposed north to south London line is higher than the Greater London Authority's widely cited £30bn budget, which is based on 2014 prices. Read more: Crossrail 2 boss says [...]
High Court strikes down black cab appeal against Uber’s London licence February 26, 2019 The High Court rejected an appeal to block Uber's 15-month London licence today, dismissing claims that the decision to grant it was biased. Taxi drivers of the United Cabbies Group (UCG) argued that chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot's decision to grant Uber a licence to operate in London was affected by her husband's relationship with the company. Read more: [...]