Boris and the blue wall: Can the PM hold the Tories’ new electoral coalition together? November 29, 2021 The story of Boris Johnson’s 2019 General Election landslide was the political realignment that saw swathes of traditional Labour areas turn blue across the North and the Midlands. However, Johnson’s electoral offering and tilt toward the so-called Red Wall may have had unintended consequences on the UK’s political geography. The Conservatives under Boris Johnson are [...]
Amigo Loans on the brink as lending break continues November 29, 2021 Amigo Loans has warned it is at risk of insolvency as its break from lending to new customers continues.
Jacky Wright, Microsoft’s Chief Digital Officer on technology, ethics and business November 29, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Jacky Wright, Corporate VP and Chief Digital Officer, Microsoft US, tells Laurence Eastham why business and society thrive at the intersection of technology and ethics, and why we’ve now hit a critical juncture. As Corporate VP and Chief Digital Officer, Microsoft US, Jacky Wright has a pivotal role [...]
Exclusive: Businesses with poor ESG credentials struggle to attract workers November 29, 2021 Companies that are failing to improve their environmental credentials are struggling to attract talent, according to exclusive figures shared with City A.M. today. Research carried out by business services provider DWF found two in five businesses are failing to find staff due to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies being perceived as “weak”. The [...]
FTSE 100 firms lag in biodiversity efforts as net zero clutches full focus November 29, 2021 Just 25 FTSE 100 firms have undergone biodiversity audits, with the majority of London largest listed firms distracted by net zero, according to a new report shared exclusively with City A.M. While just 12 of these businesses assessed their biodiversity commitments across their supply chain. More than one in three companies on the index make [...]
UK ‘impact’ startups gain £2bn firepower in 2021, driven by climate tech sector November 29, 2021 Impact startups in the UK – defined as those founded to actively build solutions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – have raked in £2bn in investment this year, according to a new Dealroom analysis. As investors grow increasingly wary of corporate greenwashing, so-called “impact investing” in companies that are founded to generate positive [...]
Deliveroo to name Goldman as broker despite disastrous IPO debut November 28, 2021 Goldman Sachs and Barclays are close to being picked as Deliveroo’s joint brokers, Sky News reported today. A source close to Deliveroo said the London-listed food delivery app will finalise the appointments of the two US investment bank behemoths as joint corporate brokers – a key role for investment banks as they seek to advise [...]
Tory by-election candidate says levelling up agenda includes outer London November 28, 2021 The Conservative candidate in an upcoming by-election has claimed the government’s levelling up agenda includes poorer parts of outer London. Old Bexley and Sidcup candidate Louie French told City A.M. that Boris Johnson’s flagship agenda, generally thought to only encompass the Midlands and the North, “completely” includes economically deprived areas of the capital and that [...]
Rebel Tory MP Steve Baker to set up new campaign to push low-tax agenda November 28, 2021 Perennial rebel Tory MP Steve Baker is setting up a new Westminster campaign group to push Boris Johnson to adopt a low tax, small state position in the wake of a series of tax rises. Baker, who has a history of running successful parliamentary rebellions against Tory Prime Ministers, is planning to run a campaign [...]
Supply chain crisis leaves Brits worse off than Americans and Europeans with many prepared to ‘punish’ retailers November 27, 2021 As the Office for Budget Responsibility recently reported that the UK’s supply chain bottlenecks have been exacerbated by Brexit, new data shows this morning that Brits report far worse delivery experiences than consumers in France, Germany, and the US. While the crisis is being presented as ‘global’, UK online consumers report disproportionate affects, with nearly two fifths [...]