Markets have bigger things to worry about than a change in Number 10 July 12, 2022 Markets tend to be one step ahead of everyone else. Investors are always trying to identify new risks and limit their exposure to events that hurt stock markets. That forward-looking ethos probably explains why they ignored the upheaval in Number 10 last week. Boris Johnson’s position has looked wobbly for a while. Investors priced in [...]
City watchdog tells banks to treat small businesses ‘fairly’ during cost-of-living crunch July 12, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog has told Britain’s top banks to improve their treatment of struggling small business owners when collecting and recovering debts. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Britain’s banks should take action to ensure fair treatment of small and medium enterprise (SME) customers, after the watchdog uncovered repeated instances of failures during [...]
Rishi, Penny, Kemi or Jeremy: Meet the Tory leadership runners and riders fighting to replace Boris Johnson July 12, 2022 The Tory leadership race gained momentum over the weekend, with opening gambits coming thick and fast from candidates across almost every wing of the party. Rishi Sunak, who wasted no time on Friday in publicly stating an intention to stand, remains an early favourite. But a host of hopefuls, including Nadhim Zahawi, Grant Shapps and [...]
London businesses crimped by cost of living spending slowdown July 12, 2022 London’s businesses are being crimped by Brits cutting spending in response to the cost of living squeeze, reveals a survey released today. Some one in four of the capital’s firms have suffered income hits over the last three months, up from a fifth in the first quarter of this year, according to the London Chamber [...]
Retail sales tumble to a rate ‘not seen since depths of pandemic’ amid cost of living crisis July 12, 2022 Retail sales volumes are plunging by a rate not seen since the darkest days of Covid lockdowns, as industry voices have warned businesses will struggle amid historic inflation. Total sales dropped by one per cent in June, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG retail sales monitor for the five weeks to 2 [...]
It’s time businesses use their plethora of data to assist so many struggling costumers July 12, 2022 Whatever drama is unfolding in Westminster, tackling the cost of living remains consumers’ number one priority. There is still so much work to be done to help millions of people facing dire financial situations. The government has already announced new measures to support consumers, such as help with soaring energy bills. But it could go [...]
Railway ticket office and platform staff vote to back strike action at Southeastern and Network Rail July 11, 2022 Ticket office and railway platform staff working for Southeastern and Network Rail have voted in favour of industrial action, in ballots by the TSSA union. According to the union, which announced the ballot’s result today, 73.9 per cent of Southeastern members balloted voted in favour of walking out while 85.1 per cent said yes to [...]
Train drivers at eight railway firms vote in favour of industrial action July 11, 2022 Train drivers will join the wave of industrial action that has brought the country to a standstill as members of the union Aslef at eight operators have voted in favour of industrial action. No dates have been announced yet, but if it were to go ahead, the industrial action will hit services on Chiltern, GWR, LNER, [...]
Tory leadership: Zahawi says he’ll cancel Corporation Tax hike if made PM July 11, 2022 New chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said he has already “set the wheels in motion” to cancel a planned Corporation Tax hike if made Prime Minister as he proposes a swathe of tax cuts to launch his Tory leadership bid. Zahawi told a Westminster event this afternoon that he would also cut the basic rate of [...]
One in six UK households face ‘serious financial difficulties’ amidst worsening cost of living crisis July 11, 2022 One in six households in the UK, about 4.4m, face “serious financial difficulties” as the cost of living crisis worsens with inflation at 40 year highs. This is an increase of 1.6m households from October last year, with over half of all UK households considering their financial situation to be worse now than during the [...]