Anglo American makes £405m bid for Sirius Minerals January 20, 2020 Anglo American have agreed a £405m rescue deal with the board of embattled Sirius Minerals, it was announced this morning. Under the agreement, Sirius shareholders will receive 5.50p for each share, a 34 per cent premium on the British mining firm’s 4.10p closing price on 7 January. The deal is a lifeline for Sirius, which [...]
I can see clearly how to help London’s blind community January 20, 2020 London is a wonderful place to live and work. I meant to stay for just two years when I first came here in 1972 from my Yorkshire home. Today, 47 years later, I’m a true Londoner — though still a Yorkshireman at heart. I was partially sighted when I arrived in London. My sight continued [...]
Sadiq Khan warns against Westminster ‘anti-London agenda’ January 17, 2020 Sadiq Khan urged Labour and the Conservatives to ditch their “anti-London agenda” in a speech to City grandees last night. The speech, at the City of London Corporation’s London government dinner, hit out at Boris Johnson’s plans for “re-balancing spending away from London and towards other parts of the country”. However, the Tories weren’t the [...]
Flybe rescue secrecy is absurd January 17, 2020 So much for open government. It shouldn’t be too much to expect the ministry responsible for the public finances to disclose the potential liability to taxpayers of a private company bailout. Yet in the Treasury’s statement about the government-backed rescue of the regional airline Flybe this week, there was scant detail and even fewer numbers. [...]
Flybe or not to Flybe? This bailout flies in the face of market economics January 17, 2020 The philosophy of the market is based on the idea that the key to a prosperous economy is competition. Fair and vibrant competition, the argument goes, spurs businesses to improve quality and reduce prices, benefiting consumers and fuelling economic growth. Companies that struggle should be allowed to fail, making room for more agile or innovative [...]
Crossrail 2 may already be facing delays, says Sadiq Khan January 16, 2020 Crossrail 2 may have been delayed before government approval has even been given, according to Sadiq Khan. The £41.3bn rail project – a new Tube line running from North to South London – is in limbo as it awaits for the Department for Transport (DfT) to deliberate on its business plan. Under the current funding [...]
City Hall’s 300 per cent rise in office spending under Sadiq Khan queried January 16, 2020 A threefold increase in City Hall office spending under Sadiq Khan has come under question, with one London Assembly member suggesting it could be “uncontrolled”. The assembly’s Budget Committee today released its first response to the mayor’s 2020-21 budget, which details £17bn of public expenditure. Read more: Sadiq Khan has increased press office spending by [...]
Londoners have more two-hour commutes than anywhere in Europe January 15, 2020 Londoners have more two-hour commutes on average than anywhere else in Europe, according to a new survey. A study from Israeli app Moovit found that five per cent of all London and South East commutes are two hours or longer. Read more: TfL renames Piccadilly Tube station to celebrate new Star Trek film This was [...]
Revealed: Why the government bailed out Flybe, but not Thomas Cook January 15, 2020 At first glance, some might find it hard to understand why the government decided to save Flybe – a small, regional airline – but not holiday giant Thomas Cook. After all, when the latter went bust in September more than 150,000 Brits were left stranded abroad, prompting a mammoth repatriation effort by the Civil Aviation [...]
Aviva Investors buys Docklands hotel site for £106m January 15, 2020 Aviva Investors’ Lime Property Fund has bought a £106m hotel development site near Canary Wharf. The asset management arm of Aviva has acquired the freehold interest in the site next to Westferry DLR station, where developer Rockwell will build a 30-storey Premier Inn Hotel. Read more: London luxury hotel market booms Whitbread, the owner of [...]