Phoenix: Insurer hikes dividend after volatile markets hit investments and share price March 13, 2023 British insurer Phoenix Group today posted a £1.23bn loss as volatile markets hit the value of the insurance company’s investment portfolio. Shares in the FTSE 100 company fell sharply on the news as Phoenix pointed to the “challenging economic backdrop” after noting it generated 12.5 per cent less cash than in 2021 The insurer, however, [...]
Direct Line shares crash as winter cold snap and inflation leave its results ‘as ugly as they can be’ March 13, 2023 Direct Line today posted a £45m loss for the year 2022 as the insurer suffered a hit from soaring inflation, extreme weather, and market volatility, in what analysts described as one of the “worst years” in the Bromley firm’s history. Shares in Direct Line fell by 5.79 per cent on the news, as the insurer [...]
Health Secretary invites junior doctors for pay talks ahead of 72-hour strike March 11, 2023 The Health Secretary has invited junior doctors for pay talks in an attempt to avert next week’s three-day strike amid a bitter dispute over pay. Steve Barclay said he had proposed negotiations “on the same basis other health unions accepted”, after planned industrial action by tens of thousands of key workers was suspended when the [...]
Credit Suisse delays annual report after call from SEC March 9, 2023 Credit Suisse has delayed publishing its annual report following a call from the US Securities and Exchange Commission late on Wednesday evening, the lender said today. The SEC were concerned by cash flow statements in 2019 and 2020 as well as “related controls”. In its 2021 annual report, Credit Suisse revised how it filed a [...]
Jeremy Hunt readies placeholder budget that will let a lot of people down March 9, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is going to let a lot of people down at his budget next Wednesday. Businesses. Families. Even former Prime Ministers. The Chancellor is poised to resist calls to save a flatlining economy by staying the course set in his November autumn statement of balancing the books. Households want an extension of energy support [...]
Wagamama owner TRG to close 35 locations as cost of living crisis digs into profits March 8, 2023 The Wagamama owner said that it will shutter some 35 “loss making” locations taking its portfolio from 166 restaurants down to 75-85 due to a “tough macro-environment,” which has deterred customers from eating out.
Twitter’s doom loop will banish us to even more politically partisan corners March 8, 2023 Every time Elon Musk tries to fix one problem at Twitter, but if Twitter does die, we will lose a good deal of humour and a genuinely useful platform, writes Josh Williams.
If Sue Gray becomes Starmer’s chief of staff, she’ll have some answers to give March 6, 2023 Sue Gray has every right to take the job as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. But because of her involvement in the "Partygate" saga, she must clarify what happened in the background, writes Eliot Wilson
Keir Starmer should publish Sue Gray WhatsApps, Tories say, amid pro-Labour poll March 5, 2023 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer should publish any WhatsApp messages with Sue Gray ahead of her becoming his chief of staff, a Conservative minister has said. Starmer should publish his messages with the civil servant and partygate investigator to clear up questions about her move to the senior role, the Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris [...]
Nadine Dorries brands partygate report a ‘stitch up’ after Sue Gray joins Starmer’s team March 2, 2023 Tory MPs have reacted to reports top civil servant Sue Gray is set to join Keir Starmer as his chief of staff, with one Boris Johnson ally branding her partygate report a “stitch up”. Gray has quit her civil service job and is reportedly set to join the Labour leader’s team. Nadine Dorries, former culture [...]