Sadiq Khan’s new one-hour Hopper bus fare comes into force today – but it won’t quite live up to his original promise September 12, 2016 One of London mayor Sadiq Khan's manifesto promises launches today, but it won't quite match the plan. Khan had pledged a new “Hopper” one hour bus ticket allowing unlimited transfers on buses inside a 60-minute window. And while the ticket launches today, it will only cover a single change between buses or trams, with the discount [...]
London will remain a world-leading city because of its world-beating talent September 12, 2016 When people think of London, our city’s iconic buildings, red buses, black taxis, and vibrant cultural scene often come to mind. But the capital offers so much more than that, with PwC finding in a recent report that London, for the second year in a row, is the world’s number one place for companies to do [...]
Flybe boss: Forget Heathrow v Gatwick – government should look at issues outside of south east September 11, 2016 For the British aviation industry, the debate of the day (and decade) is south-east airport expansion: Heathrow versus Gatwick. Everyone in the industry has an opinion, and Saad Hammad, the chief executive of regional airline Flybe, is no exception. “From my analysis of the Davies report [into airport expansion], it looks like Heathrow is the [...]
Adam Smith Institute says selling off half of Network Rail could raise £8bn September 8, 2016 Network Rail should be broken up and sold-off in order to get Britain’s ailing infrastructure back on track and ease the burden on the taxpayer, a high profile think tank said today. The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) predicted that £8bn could be raised for the public purse from the sale of what it referred to [...]
Don’t make Southern Rail a scapegoat for the ideological war between Whitehall and the trade unions September 8, 2016 Southern Rail is raking in tens of millions of pounds in profit from its disastrous management of a crucial commuter line while careering head first into a row with unions and nabbing a £20m taxpayer bailout due to the ensuing problems – at least if you believe the company’s critics. The reality of the situation [...]
A Vauxhall MP has blasted the construction of the Garden Bridge in a late parliamentary debate September 7, 2016 Labour MP Kate Hoey has blasted plans for London's Garden Bridge, saying the project “cannot work” under current plans. Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, led an adjournment debate in parliament questioning the ability of the Garden Bridge Trust to raise investment. One of Sadiq Khan's first acts as London mayor was to reveal that it would [...]
Southern Rail in breach of franchise agreement says London Assembly September 7, 2016 The London Assembly today urged the government to strip Govia Thameslink of its Southern Rail franchise and claimed that it is in breach of its contract. A motion was passed to put pressure on government to reconsider its decision to not strip Govia Thameslink of the stricken franchise. "With Southern passengers having faced months of delayed and [...]
The big business class-only problem: Why high-end services like La Compagnie don’t take off in Britain September 7, 2016 Sir Richard Branson’s trademark “devil may care” attitude is evident when he talks about founding Virgin Atlantic. He has said: “In the ’80s my gut feeling was that airlines were crap. I hated spending time on planes. I thought we could create the kind of airline I’d like. So we got a secondhand 747 and [...]
Delays on a new runway decision are costing the UK up to £1m an hour in emerging markets trade, according to a new study September 7, 2016 Delays in decision making on airport expansion are costing the UK as much as £1m ever hour in lost trade with emerging markets, according to a new analysis. Sir Howard Davies first recommended expansion at Heathrow last July, but since then the government has failed to approve the plan, and is currently set to return [...]
Wake up, Britain: Your post-Brexit future is brighter than you realise September 6, 2016 This is an extract from a speech to be given at the Institute for Turnaround Conference in London on 8 September 2016. Britain's future is brighter than the British realise. This is perfectly obvious to outsiders but the British can’t believe it. Britain has been for some time the second most compelling investment destination after [...]