New Covid rules are a ‘disaster’ for hospitality, based on non-existent data, says D&D London boss November 24, 2020 The head of restaurant group D&D London has slammed the new government Covid restrictions, calling them a “disaster” and a “kick in the teeth” for the hospitality sector. Des Gunewardena writes in an exclusive column for City A.M. that the government is failing to back up its new regulations, which place tough restrictions on bars [...]
The government is ignoring Covid science and hospitality is paying the price, says D&D boss November 24, 2020 Des Gunewardena is Chairman and CEO of D&D London, the restaurant group behind brands including Bluebird, Angler, 14 Hills and Coq d’Argent. Here he lays out where the government has failed the hospitality sector and gives a plan for how it could still salvage something from the most important month of the year. So we’ve finally [...]
Retirees to be hit by inflation change in Rishi Sunak spending review November 24, 2020 Rishi Sunak is set to cost investors £100bn by announcing a change to how pensions are calculated in tomorrow’s comprehensive spending review. The Telegraph reports that Sunak is considering linking pension rises to CPI instead of the retail price index, which would mean smaller yearly increases. The change would mean that 10m retirees will receive [...]
Compass Group returns to profit in Q4 following ‘challenging year’ November 24, 2020 Compass Group has made an operating profit of £561m in 2020 after a difficult year that saw parts of the business closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The catering giant 2020 operating profit was down on last year’s £1,852m. Nearly two-thirds of Compass Group’s revenue came from north America. The group was able to return [...]
Bubbles and baubles: UK Covid restrictions set to be lifted for Chistmas November 22, 2020 The government is set to lift Covid restrictions on Christmas eve to allow for up to four households to form holiday bubbles. People in the four-household bubble will be able to interact indoors anywhere, including in pubs and restaurants. Downing Street has reportedly been in touch with the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and [...]
Twitter to hand over @Potus account to Joe Biden on 20 January November 21, 2020 Twitter will hand over the official account of the US president to the Joe Biden administration on 20 January, the company said today. The @Potus account is the president’s official account, and is separate from the personal account used to tweet by Donald Trump to tweet. “Twitter is actively preparing to support the transition of [...]
Bullying inquiry head quits as Johnson sides with Patel November 20, 2020 Senior civil servant and independent adviser to Boris Johnson Sir Alex Allan has resigned following publication of his report that found Priti Patel broke behaviour rules around bullying. Allan headed up an inquiry into bullying allegations made against home secretary Priti Patel. His report found Patel broke behaviour rules, however Boris Johnson has since said [...]
Boris Johnson set to only warn Priti Patel over bullying claims November 19, 2020 Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to censure Priti Patel over bullying civil servants, but will stop short of sacking the home secretary. An inquiry into Patel’s conduct toward civil servants in the Home Department was launched nine months ago after a series of complaints. Included among the complainants was the department’s top civil servant Philip [...]
Pfizer chief insists company did not delay vaccine results until after US election November 17, 2020 Pfizer’s chief executive has insisted the biotech company “didn’t conspire with anyone” to delay releasing its phase three trial results until after the US presidential election. Speaking at a New York Times conference today, Albert Bourla also said the company has already hit the required safety milestone for phase three trials of the vaccine and [...]
Mudge: Why has Twitter just hired a world-famous hacker? November 17, 2020 Twitter may have been awash with excitement about its new disappearing Fleets service, but behind the scenes there were other clandestine matters underway today. The social media platform said it had hired Mudge, one of the world’s best-regarded hackers, to the new position of head of security. The appointment comes at a crucial time for [...]