The City skyline is changing and will earn its keep as a world-leader May 10, 2021 The Government will this week set out whether England can take the next step in its roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions as expected on 17 May. The data seems positive, so we hope to see more people returning to the Square Mile soon for work, hospitality, shopping and everything else on offer – other than, [...]
Lloyds in talks over £400m deal for retirement group Embark May 9, 2021 Lloyds Bank is in talks over a £400m deal to acquire retirement products provider Embark in what would be its biggest acquisition since it returned to private ownership four years ago. The lender is close to finalising a deal and an announcement could come as early as this month, Sky News reported. Embark, which was [...]
Square Mile’s largest employers embrace hybrid working, the details May 8, 2021 The majority of the largest employers in the City of London have vowed to continue with some sort of hybrid approach to working, after pandemic-led restrictions forced the biggest home working experiment in history. With Covid-19 cases falling and millions of people successfully vaccinated, staff are trickling back into London’s offices, and companies are turning [...]
Has Covid changed the shape of London forever? May 6, 2021 After a rollercoaster year and a half, our economy is preparing to burst back to life. Fuelled by the joint success of the vaccine rollout and our effort in the third lockdown, we are now fighting back against our invisible foe that has, and continues, to wreak havoc around the world. Yet, life as we know [...]
London-born Eastenders actor claims he is facing deportation to Jamaica May 6, 2021 A London-born actor has claimed he is facing deportation to Jamaica, just days after the Home Office opened visa pathways for winners of awards. After battles with the Home Office, Ace Ruele Aristotles’ Limited Leave to Remain was downgraded to temporary and must be renewed every 30 months, costing £2,389 each time. “Why should I [...]
Virgin Media eyes return to revenue growth ahead of O2 merger May 6, 2021 Virgin Media has forecast a return to revenue growth this year as it gears up for a £31bn merger with mobile network O2. The telecoms group reported revenue of £1.3bn in the first three months of the year, up a marginal 0.2 per cent. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation slipped one per cent [...]
Derwent’s Baker Street project enters next phase as rent collection picks up May 6, 2021 Derwent London’s ambitious mixed-use Baker Street project entered the next phase as construction firm Erith won the contract on the scheme. Erith beat other companies to the £3m deal, which will involve knocking down existing buildings on Baker Street, George Street and Blandford Street. The news comes as the property giant presented its first quarter [...]
Mayor of London election: Beware the capital’s slide into a one-party city May 6, 2021 Most major election campaigns have trademark moments or themes that leave an indelible image on the electorate and become a part of the public’s collective memory. The 2019 General Election will be remembered as the Brexit election and for Boris Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” slogan. In the 2016 London mayoral election there was Zac Goldsmith’s [...]
Third arrest made as police identify man stabbed to death in Brent Cross shopping centre May 5, 2021 A third arrest has been made as police have identified the 21-year-old man stabbed to death in a north-west London shopping centre. Metropolitan Police officers were called to Brent Cross Shopping Centre at 6.45pm last night following reports of a group of males fighting. The force have said Gedeon Ngwendema, 21, was the victim found [...]
Brexit: UK grants EU ambassador full diplomatic status in end to row May 5, 2021 The UK has today agreed to grant the EU’s post-Brexit ambassador to Britain full diplomatic status in a move that ends a long-running row. In a joint statement, the UK and EU said ambassador João Vale de Almeida would receive “a status consistent with heads of missions of states”. This means he will be given [...]