The City’s secret Brexiteers are more numerous than you think June 17, 2016 Being a City Brexiteer might be assumed to be a lonely life. After all, aren’t we told repeatedly that “the City backs Remain” as though this were, like Newton’s laws, an immutable fact of physics? In fact, life isn’t lonely. Daily, people from the City sidle up to me much like Cold War dissidents. Carefully [...]
SocGen is set to expand its St James’s Square office by 8,000 square feet June 16, 2016 French banking giant Société Générale is about to double the size of its St James’s Square office. The bank, which is headquartered in Paris but operates major offices across London, is also moving ahead with plans to move into a new larger Canary Wharf office in 2019. The St James's office houses SocGen's private-banking arm and currently covers 8,000 square feet. [...]
Pride in London 2016: The Bank of England will fly the rainbow flag for the first time this year, but the FCA has started celebrating already June 14, 2016 The Square Mile is catching Pride fever. News reaches the Capitalist from the Bank of England that the annual celebration of the LGBT community in London is going to be extra special this year. The Bank of England is making LGBT history by flying the rainbow flag over its building for the first time next weekend. [...]
Meet the man behind the Uber of the exchange world June 13, 2016 In less than eight years, Bats Europe has gone from being a one-man operation in a City of London coffee shop to the largest stock exchange on the continent by market share and value traded. But despite its growth, the company’s chief executive – and first employee – Mark Hemsley still likes to emphasise its small business charm. “We’re not [...]
Remain campaign can’t rely on Labour voters June 13, 2016 With just 10 days to go until Britain votes on its membership of the European Union, how much ammunition do the two sides have left? The Leave camp feel they’re on to a winner with talk of Turkey joining the EU, not least with immigration remaining top of the list of public concerns. Number 10 [...]
Change to Addison Lee driver contracts boosts earnings June 8, 2016 A new contract for Addison Lee drivers has resulted in a seven per cent boost to earnings. The new deal has been road tested by a small number of the private car hire company’s drivers, who have reported an increase in the amount they are taking home compared with this time last year. The deal [...]
EU referendum: Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave trade blows over Brexit jobs risk June 1, 2016 If the UK leaves the European Union and the single market, London could miss out on tens of thousands of extra jobs, pro-EU campaigners have claimed, as Remain campaigners today seek to put forward the case for membership from manufacturers. Analysis by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) for the official Britain Stronger in [...]
The City Property Association has come out against Brexit after members backed staying in the EU May 31, 2016 The City Property Association (CPA) has come out in favour of the UK remaining in the European Union after two polls showed its members were "overwhelming" against Brexit. An online poll of its members last week found 75 per cent in favour of the Remain campaign. The CPA, which represents 170 companies operating in Central London, said [...]
EU referendum: Here’s the “positive case” for staying in the EU, according to David Cameron May 27, 2016 When David Cameron set the date for the EU referendum back in February, he told the world you’d never catch him talking down Britain. A few months, some close opinion polls and a two slightly dodgy dossiers of Treasury analysis later, and that “positive case” for staying in the EU seems a distant memory. “Project Fear” [...]
Night Tube is go: Launch date and launch lines for London’s first 24-hour service May 23, 2016 The Night Tube is go. London's new mayor Sadiq Khan has formally announced the 24-hour service will begin on Central and Victoria lines from 19 August, with Piccadilly, Jubilee and Northern lines to follow in the autumn. The launch – almost exactly a year to the date that it was due to go live – means that London [...]