7/7 London bombings 10th anniversary: Timeline of the day that changed the capital July 7, 2015 It’s been 10 years since London was rocked by a series of bombs that brought the capital’s Tube network and roads to a standstill. On that day confusion reigned: at first it was reported that there had been a power surge. At one point as many as six explosions were thought to have gone [...]
George Osborne to overhaul Sunday trading hours in biggest shakeup for 20 years July 6, 2015 Shops and supermarkets could be allowed to open for longer on Sundays in one of the biggest shakeup of trading laws in 20 years. Chancellor George Osborne will use tomorrow’s Budget to unveil plans to devolve powers to mayors or councils to decide for themselves what the rule over trading hours should be in their [...]
The EU is dead: The Grexit crisis has laid bare Europe’s inability to rescue itself June 21, 2015 Jumping the shark” is one of my favourite American idioms. It was first used in the context of a particularly notorious episode of the 1970s classic US television show Happy Days, which centred on the unlikely but enduring friendship between a young, square, 1950s good guy, Richie Cunningham, and his cool, but from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks ally Fonzie. [...]
End Austerity Now: Thousands gather in London to protest against austerity measures June 20, 2015 Thousands of people have descended on London to take part in a demonstration against government austerity measures. Crowds holding banners with slogans such as "get the Tories out", "austerity kills" and "defy Tory rule" took to the streets for the End Austerity Now demonstration. Among the protesters were Hollywood star Michael Sheen, Labour leader candidate Jeremy [...]
London space race takes off: City firms scramble for offices as demand hits highest level since 2000 June 18, 2015 Demand for office space in the capital has boomed to levels not seen in 15 years, new figures show, as companies, spurred on by the improving economic environment and stability following the General Election, pick up their search for space. The amount of space under offer in central London leapt by 25 per cent [...]
End Austerity Now march will completely disrupt parts of the City around Bank and Mansion House, say City of London Police June 17, 2015 A major protest against austerity measures will take over central London this Saturday – and people are being warned to avoid certain parts of the capital as a result. The End Austerity Now march, which is being organised by the People's Assembly Against Austerity and supported by several unions and pressure groups, is expected [...]
Queen’s Speech 2015: Business community and others react to announcements on immigration, housing, employment, tax, Scotland and English devolution May 27, 2015 The Queen's Speech – the first full-Tory state opening of Parliament since 1996 – has come and gone. But what is the business community making of it all? Here are the best reactions so far. On the tax lock: Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of tax at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants says: “This is a [...]
UK national rail strike: Which train routes are affected, will my ticket be valid, when will the strike take place? All your Network Rail bank holiday walkout questions answered May 21, 2015 UPDATE 2.45pm: The RMT has followed the TSSA union in "suspending" its strike . Things are not going well for Network Rail: having tried everything in its arsenal to prevent a planned strike by workers in the RMT union over pay and jobs, yesterday it resorted to sending threatening legal letters. Not exactly a sign of power. As [...]
National Waiters’ Day: Unions protest outside Pizza Express, Grosvenor House Marriot Hotel over low pay May 21, 2015 Waiting staff are out on protest today in central London over low pay and claims that Pizza Express management are “pocketing an estimated £1m that should go to poorly paid staff”. Unite the union is organising the event, which began at midday on National Waiters' Day, outside the Leicester Square branch of Pizza Express. [...]
Unite boss Len McCluskey says Scottish Labour made Tory victory “certain” May 14, 2015 Len McCluskey, head of the Unite Union, says it is because of Scottish Labour that the Conservatives won the General Election. Speaking to Newsnight, he said party leader Jim Murphy had “made certain” that Labour would lose, and that he should now “leave the scene”. Support for the party plunged across Scotland last week, [...]