Coronavirus: 700,000 jobs lost since March September 15, 2020 Almost 700,000 workers have lost their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic began in March, according to the latest government statistics. The HM Revenue and Customs and Office for National Statistics data showed early indicators for August suggest that the number of employees in the UK on payrolls was down around 695,000 compared with March. The [...]
Exclusive: No scrutiny of disgraced Liberal Democrat candidate due to ‘wealthy connections’ September 14, 2020 A disgraced former Liberal Democrat London mayor candidate was allegedly parachuted into the contest without extensive vetting in the hope she could potentially bring in vast amounts of donations and exclusive voter data to the party, City A.M. can reveal. Sangeeta Siddhu-Robb, a millionaire businesswoman, was yesterday forced to drop out of the race to be the [...]
Post Office in talks over sale of telecoms division September 11, 2020 The Post Office is said to be in discussions over a sale of its telecoms arm and is mulling a sale of its insurance business as part of a shake-up under its new chief executive. The scandal-hit company has appointed bankers to oversee an auction of its telecoms division, which has half a million customers [...]
You’re required: Alan Sugar urges public to get back to work September 11, 2020 Business tycoon Lord Alan Sugar today urged Brits to “put on a suit, put on a dress and get back to work” amid rising calls to kickstart the faltering economy. Speaking to LBC radio, Sugar said people’s resilience meant “they get back, they recover, they get over it”. “If you do the right things which [...]
Brexit: EU threatens legal action against UK after ‘seriously damaging trust’ September 10, 2020 Brussels has threatened the UK with legal action for Boris Johnson’s attempts to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement, claiming that his actions have “seriously damaged trust between the EU and the UK”. The European Commission’s vice president Maroš Šefčovič warned Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove today that the withdrawal agreement was a “legal obligation”, and that [...]
FTSE 100 edges into the green as Wall Street opens higher on tech bounce September 10, 2020 The FTSE 100 edged into the green as US stocks opened higher as a bounce in tech stocks overshadowed the high number of jobless claims. London’s blue-chip index climbed 0.19 per cent after spending most of the session in the red in anticipation of the ECB’s rates decision. The FTSE 250 of smaller-cap firms rose [...]
Brexit: UK and EU to hold emergency talks amid flaring tensions September 10, 2020 The UK and the EU are set for a heated emergency meeting today over Boris Johnson’s decision to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement by adding a number of “clarifications”. An “extraordinary” meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee is scheduled for this afternoon, along with a one-on-one meeting between Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and the [...]
UK economy: Job adverts fall while retail footfall flatlines September 10, 2020 The UK’s economic recovery appeared to slow somewhat over the last few weeks, according to official data, with the number of online job adverts falling and retail footfall staying roughly flat. Britons gradually headed back to the office, however, with the number of people working remotely falling. In the week to 4 September, total online [...]
Spare a thought for line managers in the world of hybrid working conditions September 10, 2020 As I left my bustling neighbourhood in West London recently, to commute to my office in the empty streets of central London, it became clear that a widespread return to office-based work in the UK is tentative to say the least. Britain’s employees are returning to their workplaces at a snail’s pace (just 34 per [...]
The creative sector is vital to London – we must save it before it is too late September 8, 2020 Save our arts. That is the rallying call. It is a worthy one. The UK’s creative sector is a dynamic part of the economy, but it has been among the areas hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis and looks likely to recover last. While areas like retail and housing are rebounding solidly, the arts are prevented [...]