New £500m university science grant can ‘commercialise discoveries’ November 13, 2024 The government has announced it will stump up £500m for 4,700 post-graduate engineering and science university places in a bid to drive long-term economic growth. Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle made the announcement today, with universities and industry set to reap the benefits. The scheme will fund 4,700 new places, equating to around £106,000 [...]
‘Disaster Budget will kill UK farming’, warns chicken king Boparan November 12, 2024 Entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Boparan, whose empire ranges from Bernard Matthews to Carluccio’s, has warned the autumn Budget is a “disaster for business” and will “deliver a final fatal blow to the thousands of small family-owned farms”. Boparan added that the “inheritance tax raid” on farms announced in the Budget on 30 October “risks supply being [...]
Starmer appoints Jonathan Powell as UK national security adviser November 8, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Tony Blair’s former chief of staff Jonathan Powell as his national security adviser. The Cabinet Office confirmed the former Foreign Office diplomat and No10 chief operator would take on the key role advising the Prime Minister in an announcement today. It comes amid the re-election of Donald Trump as US [...]
Trump and Tesla shares soar as Republicans secure victory November 6, 2024 Shares in Trump Media & Technology Group and Tesla soared in early trading on Wednesday as investors rallied behind stocks associated with newly elected US President Donald Trump and one of his key backers, Elon Musk. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), owner of the Truth Social platform, spiked as much as 35 per cent [...]
Wise: Fintech’s shares pop as swelling customer base boosts profit November 6, 2024 Wise has posted a surge in profit as the money transfer fintech benefited from a swelling customer base and made investments to reduce prices.
Prudential: FTSE 100 insurer posts profit growth in key Asian markets November 6, 2024 FTSE 100 insurer Prudential posted a jump in new business profit for the first nine months of its year today after registering “broad based growth” across its global markets. In a third-quarter trading update today, the Asia-focused insurer said it had notched £2.35bn in new business profit across its global markets, an 11 per cent rise on [...]
Fujitsu won £1.4m in public contracts since pledge to stop bidding November 3, 2024 Fujitsu, the firm at the heart of the Post Office scandal, has been given £1.4m in public sector contracts since it pledged to stop bidding for them. The technology company voluntarily agreed in January not to bid for any further awards until the Post Office inquiry had been concluded. However, the commitment did not cover [...]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, announcing £40bn of tax rises, Central London Alliance comments November 1, 2024 Given the straitened public finances it is understandable to leave no stone unturned when looking to balance the books, and we welcome the much-needed investment in the public services. But business owners, the ones creating jobs, are paying this bill. The likely outcome; job losses. Business owners are the lifeblood of the economy, driving growth [...]
Post Office: MPs to hold inquiry into compensation ‘unfinished business’ October 31, 2024 MPs are set to launch an inquiry into the “unfinished business” of financial redress for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The business and trade committee will hold a short probe focused on “fast and fair redress” for those affected by what has been dubbed the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history. It [...]
Selfridges sinks further into the red as sales at luxury department store falter October 31, 2024 Luxury department store chain Selfridges has lost more than £400m since it last made a pre-tax profit, it has been revealed. The business, which has UK stores in London, Birmingham and two in Manchester, passed the milestone after falling to a £41.9m loss in the year to 3 February, 2024. It comes after Selfridges previously [...]