Central London retail investment doubles as fresh brands swoop on empty high street stores February 5, 2021 Less established brands swooped on discounted central London property in the final quarter of last year, as the collapse of former high street stalwarts has prime space up for grabs. Total central London retail investment in the fourth quarter of 2020 reached £475m, more than double the volume reported in the final three months of [...]
Energy prices to rise for millions of households in April February 5, 2021 Ofgem has today announced that the energy price cap will return to pre-pandemic levels from April due to changes in wholesale prices. The price cap will increase by £96 to £1,138 for 11 million default tariff customers. There will be an £87 increase to £1,156 for those using payment meter. Ofgem has allowed the increases [...]
Londoners could face tougher face mask rules in transport crackdown February 5, 2021 Tube and bus passengers in London could be made to wear higher-grade face masks to help combat new mutant strains of Covid-19. Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London have both launched reviews of current guidance amid concerns about the rapid spread of the so-called Kent strain across the UK. Face coverings have been mandatory [...]
UK urges EU to extend grace period to 2023 in bid to soften Brexit impact February 3, 2021 Britain has asked the EU for a grace period extension until 2023 on checks made on trade moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has written to the European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic to ask for urgent political solutions on a number of issues at the [...]
Grant Shapps: Sadiq Khan cannot ‘raid national budget’ to fix TfL finances February 3, 2021 Grant Shapps has this morning said that Sadiq Khan cannot “just raid the national budget” to fix Transport for London’s ailing finances. Speaking to the Transport Select Committee, the transport secretary said that it would not be fair on taxpayers to fund services and concessions that were not available outside of London. The comments raise [...]
Eurostar is ‘not our company to rescue’, says Grant Shapps February 3, 2021 The transport secretary has poured cold water on hopes that the UK would lead the rescue of the struggling Eurostar rail link. Speaking to MPs on the Transport Select Committee this morning, Grant Shapps said that the cross-channel service was “not our company to rescue”. Pointing to the fact that the French government owned the [...]
Revealed: The London bus drivers ‘abandoned’ to the pandemic February 2, 2021 London bus drivers have told City A.M. they were “abandoned” by their employers and unions alike and forced to fend for themselves as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the UK. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a number of drivers revealed to City A.M. the personal risks to which they have been exposed while keeping essential [...]
Why renewable energy could gain from the green hydrogen trend February 1, 2021 What effect will net zero have? One of the most notable features of climate policy over the last couple of years has been the rise of national and supranational “net zero” targets. Countries and regions adopting these targets include Europe, the UK, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, South Africa and a handful of US states. [...]
The changing face of markets February 1, 2021 I see myself as a ‘global’ citizen that, through my work over the last 20+ years, has developed a deep experience of capital markets and exchanges. At the beginning of this century I was part of the creation of Euronext that resulted a few years later in leading its European cash market from Paris before [...]
Pension fund Equitix joins calls for Eurostar bailout January 31, 2021 Pension fund Equitix has added its voice to calls for ministers to help prop up the struggling cross-channel Eurostar service. The fund is one of the joint owners of HS1, the high-speed rail line linking London to the Channel Tunnel, which depends on the Eurostar for about a third of its revenues. The Times reported [...]