Hinkley Point C construction continues apace with completion of reactor base June 1, 2020 Construction at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset remains on track despite the coronavirus crisis, with contractors today meeting a key milestone in the building of the new plant. With work continuing under special coronavirus measures, workers at the plant have completed the 49,000 tonne base for the second nuclear reactor, meeting a [...]
Jim O’Neill: Project Birch must come with conditions attached May 31, 2020 Former Treasury minister and architect of the Northern Powerhouse project Jim O’Neill has said the government’s Project Birch bailout plan must come with conditions attached for the businesses involved. Speaking to the Telegraph, O’Neill also called for “great conditionality” to be attached to the scheme, which is expected to provide support for strategically key firms [...]
‘The trouble with dreams is you wake up’ – DWF hammered after CEO exit May 29, 2020 The magnitude of the ousting of listed law firm DWF’s chief executive Andrew Leaitherland today for the future of the business cannot be overstated. Leaitherland was no technocratic leader or managerial gun for hire. It was his vision and drive that took the firm from its humble northwestern roots to make history as the first [...]
Dividend bear markets: the grizzly facts May 29, 2020 With companies around the world drastically cutting dividends, we’ve looked at 149 years of data to see what’s happened previously at such times and what investors might expect next. Dividends are expected to be slashed by 25% to 50% across the globe this year compared with 2019. This will be an unwelcome (if not entirely [...]
Paddy Power owner Flutter raises £812m in share placing May 29, 2020 Paddy Power owner Flutter today said it has raised £812m in a share placing that will see Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation boost its holding in the gambling giant. Flutter, which also owns Betfair and Poker Stars, said it placed more than 8m new shares at £101 each, marking a 4.7 per cent discount on last [...]
Listed legal business DWF ousts chief executive amid covid-19 crisis May 29, 2020 Listed legal business DWF today announced it was ousting its longstanding chief executive in favour of its chair to help steer it through the coronavirus pandemic. Chief executive Andrew Leaitherland is stepping down from DWF “with immediate effect” to be replaced by chair Sir Nigel Knowles who was previously chief executive of legal giant DLA [...]
The City View: ‘End the lockdown now and cut taxes to avoid a depression’ – Dan Hannan May 28, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by Dan Hannan, former Tory MEP now president of the Initiative for Free Trade. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Dan is a lockdown-sceptic and he makes a powerful case for reopening the economy and avoiding a crippling collapse in economic activity. In addition, he believes the government must [...]
FCA warns banks and brokers over risks of home working May 27, 2020 The financial services watchdog today warned that banks and brokerages are facing increased risks around the handling of sensitive information due to the rise of home working as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In its weekly bulletin, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that “working from home arrangements may raise new, additional risks around [...]
The UK’s long road to Covid-19 recovery May 27, 2020 As the discussion on how the UK navigates its post-lockdown journey continues, it is becoming increasingly clear that the road ahead remains fraught with uncertainty. There is a huge series of steps the government and organisations of all sizes must negotiate before reaching even a sense of life before Covid-19. Assessing the modelling of roadmaps [...]
Crisis is a chance for us to reset our air quality for good May 27, 2020 Air quality in London, the UK and indeed the whole world has improved significantly in a matter of weeks due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions being put in place. New data now shows nitrogen dioxide levels have reduced by around 35% in the Square Mile since the beginning of lockdown, when compared to the average reading [...]