Sadiq Khan allies claim Number 10 is trying to weaken City Hall August 16, 2020 Allies of Sadiq Khan are worried the government is making a concerted attempt to transfer power away from City Hall. The mayor of London has had a series of conflicts with the government, beginning with a set of conditions placed on a £1.6bn TfL bailout from the government. The terms of the bailout saw Boris [...]
The return to work: Here’s when City firms are going back to the office August 7, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said a strong recovery for the UK economy will require people to have the confidence to return to work at the office. The government is worried that hospitality businesses are being hit hard by people working from home. But London firms have adopted a more cautious approach than the [...]
Office space provider IWG takes £156m hit on coronavirus crisis August 4, 2020 Office space provider IWG announced it will take a £156m hit due to the coronavirus pandemic as it shrinks its portfolio by four per cent amid a home-working boom. IWG’s share price dropped more than five per cent today after it announced it will accelerate its office closure plans due to the Covid-19 crisis, with [...]
Downing Street admits it could impose M25 quarantine ring August 3, 2020 Plans to introduce a quarantine ring around the M25 to halt travel in and out of London are “within the government’s contain strategy”, Downing Street said today. The admission came as the Prime Minister scrambles to curb a spike in infections across the country. Boris Johnson is said to have held a “war game” session [...]
How badly will coronavirus hit UK house prices in 2020? July 29, 2020 Property experts hope a stamp duty holiday and relaxed lockdown restrictions will protect UK house prices from a sharp coronavirus fall this year. At the height of lockdown, experts predicted that UK house prices could fall by as much as 10 per cent this year due to the impact of coronavirus. However, chancellor Rishi Sunak [...]
Prime Minister suggests moving Parliament to York July 16, 2020 Boris Johnson has suggested that MPs could temporarily decamp to York while the Palace of Westminster undergoes renovation, in what could count as one of the most radical shake ups to to Parliament in decades. In a letter to David Goldstone, chief executive of the Palace of Westminster’s multibillion pound restoration, the Prime Minister said [...]
UK quarantine: Boris Johnson says UK will ‘certainly develop’ air bridges June 3, 2020 The government “will certainly be developing” air bridges with other European countries to ensure quarantine-free travel, according to Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister said at the daily press briefing that work was underway to create exemptions for the 14-day quarantine for inbound travellers, which will begin next Monday. Home secretary Priti Patel today unveiled the [...]
Britain must get creative to shake off pandemic blues June 2, 2020 On Sunday 10th May, Boris Johnson announced the first tentative steps to reopen the British economy after weeks of being in the deep freeze. The heavily caveated plan has led the Prime Minister to “…believe we can be stronger and better than ever before. More resilient, more innovative, more economically dynamic…” Read more: London needs its hospitality [...]
Why global cities can still thrive despite Covid-19’s impact June 1, 2020 The most connected part of global cities could be of even greater value despite an increase in remote working. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated our digital future with remote working set to become the norm for many people. But although fewer people will be travelling into cities each day to work in the knowledge economy, [...]
Square Mile lockdown: City firms plot staff’s return to work May 14, 2020 City banks and professional services firms are drawing up plans to send staff back to the office as the UK begins to ease its coronavirus lockdown. Earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people who can work from home should continue to do so, as he laid out guidance to make workplaces “Covid-secure”. [...]