Sir Bernard Ingham press secretary to Margaret Thatcher dies age 90 February 24, 2023 Sir Bernard Ingham, the long-standing press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, has died after a short illness, his family said. The former reporter, who was 90, died with his family around him on Friday lunchtime, a statement said. His family described him as a “journalist to his bones” and he continued to file a column for [...]
Football regulator WILL have more powers to investigate club owners but WON’T block takeovers linked to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, says sport minister Stuart Andrew February 23, 2023 The incoming independent football regulator will be given wider powers to investigate prospective owners – but will not block takeovers by Saudi Arabia or Qatar. A regulator will have more scope to look into the backgrounds of would-be buyers of English teams, similar to the checks in place in financial services. “We are looking at [...]
Law firms help drive record demand for London office space February 23, 2023 Law firms, accounting firms and consultancies acquired a record 2.5m sq ft of central London office space in 2022, following a boom in the professional services sector’s revenues. London’s top services firms took up 50 per cent more office space last year than in 2021, as the sector capitalised on an “unprecedented” surge in demand, [...]
Truss warns Sunak over Northern Ireland Protocol deal amid ‘resignation-watch’ denials February 23, 2023 Liz Truss has reportedly warned Rishi Sunak her support for any potential Northern Ireland Protocol agreement depends on retaining changes made under her foreign office posting. Former PM Truss, whose disastrous ‘mini-budget’ sent financial markets into a tailspin last year, has become the second ex-Tory leader to speak out ahead of a much anticipated deal. [...]
Virgin Media O2 reveals plans to open new London HQ as it dials in earnings of £10.36bn February 23, 2023 Virgin Media 02 has said it is “confident” it will deliver its 2023 profit guidance, as the group posts strong revenues in its first few months of merging. For the year ending 2022, the broadband giant saw revenues of £10.36bn up slightly from the pro forma figure of £10.35bn the previous year. The group which [...]
UK public services struggling despite near 70-year tax high, report warns February 23, 2023 UK public services can no longer match people’s expectations despite the tax burden being on course to hit a 70-year high, a think tank report has warned. Government decisions to date have done “little to shift the dial,” the Institute for Government (IfG) and CIPFA warned today in their latest performance tracker on the state-run [...]
Royal Mail tracked staff to see how fast they worked, admits disgraced boss to MPs February 22, 2023 Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson was forced to acknowledge that technology had been used to track workers after being dragged back to face a parliamentary committee. Weeks after his original hearing caused uproar amongst staff Thompson, who was on this occasion ordered to swear under oath, told parliament that had been 16 occasions in the [...]
Florian Zeller interview: The Son director on fighting the shame of mental illness February 22, 2023 Who among us hasn’t dreamed of a meeting that forever changes the direction of their life? This is exactly what happened to French author, playwright and director Florian Zeller. The meeting in question came about after Zeller had adapted a screenplay from his harrowing 2012 portrait of dementia The Father, in which he tailored the [...]
Migration Museum gets new home in Square Mile as refugee developer stumps up 60-years rent-free space February 21, 2023 A multi-million pound development in the Square Mile will give a new home to the Migration Museum and provide hundreds of affordable apartments. 65 Crutched Friars near Tower Hill will be transformed into a 21-storey state-of-the-art site and has been granted 60-years rent-free space by the developer. Dubbed “Britain’s gateway to the world for thousands [...]
Jeremy Hunt faces calls for March budget giveaways after UK borrows £30bn less than forecast February 21, 2023 The UK government spent less than it reaped in from taxpayers last month helping to push yearly borrowing £30bn lower than projected by forecasters, officials figures out today reveal. The difference between what the government generated in revenue and spent hit a positive £5.4bn, meaning the UK’s public finances were in surplus last month, according [...]