£11.05 per hour in London: 300,000 Brits get pay rise following hike in real living wage November 15, 2021 The new hourly Real Living Wage rate will be £11.05 in London and £9.90 outside the capital from today, increases of 20p and 40p respectively, it was announced. As a result, more than 300,000 workers are set to receive a pay rise as higher rates were announced for the Real Living Wage, a voluntary rate [...]
Bold move to take on Uber: Bolt to allow London drivers to set their own prices November 15, 2021 In an attempt to tackle driver shortages which have led to longer wait times and increased cancellations across the ride-hailing sector, Uber’s main rival in the capital, Bolt, said this morning it will allow drivers to set their own prices. Drivers often accept journey requests but then reject them after receiving more profitable options, Bolt [...]
Today: MPs expected to scrap controversial reforms that kicked off Tory sleaze row November 15, 2021 The controversial standards reforms that sparked the Westminster’s sleaze row are expected to be scrapped today during a vote in Parliament later today. A motion to rescind the so-called Leadsom amendment, which looked to establish a review of the MPs standards investigation process and delay Owen Paterson’s suspension for breaking lobbying rules, has been tabled [...]
Uber’s model was rife with flaws but the gig economy deserves saving November 15, 2021 It has been less than ten years since Uber started operating in London. In that short time, the ride-hailing service has transformed the way many urban dwellers think about their transportation needs and their expectations of connectivity. By the beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic, Londoners took it for granted that Uber—or Bolt Kapten [...]
Not going out: sales down 4.5 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants November 15, 2021 The hospitality sector is struggling to bounce back from Covid-19 as Brits take a cautious attitude to spending post-lockdown. Rolling sales for managed pubs, bars and restaurants are down 4.5 per cent over the past 12 months as the sector continues to be hit hard by supply chain pressures, high energy prices and recruitment issues. [...]
Cop26: Boris Johnson seeks to downplay failure to get deal to end coal power November 14, 2021 Boris Johnson has sought to play down the failure at Cop26 to get an agreement to end the use of coal power, saying a push from India and China to water down the final deal won’t “make much difference”. Johnson today claimed the deal agreed by 197 nations at the United Nations summit in Glasgow [...]
‘Acute’ staff shortages and rising energy bills force most businesses to hike their prices November 12, 2021 Amid ‘acute’ staff shortages and the rising cost of fuel and energy, most businesses are increasing their prices. A survey of 1,000 firms showed that four out of five increased the price of their goods or services in the past year. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said its study indicated that nine out of [...]
OECD ranking: The award for the country with the world’s most competitive tax system goes to… November 11, 2021 Estonia tops the rankings in a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that was published today by the Tax Foundation, a tax policy non-profit in the U.S. The ranking zooms in on the the most competitive tax regimes around the world. Estonia’s top score is driven by a 20 per [...]
What everyone warned for is now a fact: Supply chain woes are slowing UK economic growth November 11, 2021 The ONS said this morning that UK economic growth slowed sharply between July and September. The official figures show this is largely due to the ongoing supply chain problems. The economy expanded by 1.3 per cent between July and September, down from growth of 5.5 per cent in the previous three months. The ONS said [...]
GDP: Summer spending pushes UK economy growth spurt of 1.3 per cent November 11, 2021 The UK economy grew by 1.3 per cent between July and September, down from 5.5 per cent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. The quarterly figure has fallen below analyst estimates of 1.5 per cent. The UK’s GDP remains just 0.6 per cent below its pre-pandemic levels after [...]