HS2’s northern leg scrapped: What’s being planned instead – and has London been snubbed? October 5, 2023 It seemed unthinkable not long ago, but Rishi Sunak scrapped the Manchester leg of HS2 – and said it will be replaced by hundreds of new projects. The scrapping means everything past the London to Birmingham leg, which is already under construction, will be torched, with the PM citing ballooning costs for pulling the plug. [...]
National Grid reassures shareholders over US earnings with bullish update October 5, 2023 National Grid has told shareholders to expect further contributions to its earnings per share in the second half of the year.
New car market revs up in September but experts warn EV demand to slip on petrol ban U-turn October 5, 2023 New car registrations soared last month, as pent-up demand for new vehicles helped the auto sector motor towards its 14th consecutive month of growth.
Ministers accused of risking green investment for ‘short-term political gain’ October 5, 2023 The government’s rowing back on green pledges is putting the future of the UK’s economy at risk for the benefit of “short-term political gain."
Mark Harper: Transport secretary ‘proud’ of decision to axe Manchester leg of HS2 October 5, 2023 Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he was “proud” of the decision to cut HS2 north of Birmingham as he shrugged off criticism from Tory former premier David Cameron and ex-chancellor George Osborne. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his speech at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday to confirm he has axed Phases 2a and 2b [...]
FTSE 100 close: London markets close higher after sliding for three days straight October 5, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 jumped into the green on Thursday, following three days where the capital’s blue-chip index slid. The FTSE 100 climbed 0.53 per cent to close at 7,451.54 while the FTSE 250 ended 0.61 per cent higher at 17,599.98 The FTSE’s gains came despite data showing a stronger than expected labour market in the [...]
Imperial Brands to deliver full-year guidance as it launches £1.1bn buy-back October 5, 2023 Imperial Brands, the tobacco giant behind Lambert & Butler, Winston and Gauloises, has said it is on track to deliver its full-year guidance thanks to high prices of cigarettes and demand for tobacco alternatives. The cigarette company, which also makes Golden Virginia tobacco, said that strong pricing led by the rising costs helped offset historic [...]
Sunak faces backlash from Johnson and Cameron over HS2 axing – as he’s reported to the police in Scotland October 5, 2023 Rishi Sunak has faced criticism from his predecessors in Number 10 for losing a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” by cancelling the northern leg of HS2. The Prime Minister defied senior Tories and business leaders to scrap HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester saying “the facts have changed” and the cost of the high-speed rail scheme had “more than [...]
Scrapping HS2 was a smart move – now bring on more bold action October 5, 2023 Structural reforms are one thing: cultural shifts are altogether more difficult. Many a football manager has learnt this over the years, where a formation change and a sprinkling of new talent in an under-performing club fails to make a difference because something in the club isn’t right. Creating winning cultures is hard. City bigwigs are [...]
‘What Brexit was about’: How Tories in the conference hall saw Sunak’s speech October 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak was praised by Tory delegates for an “amazing” conference speech which saw him cancel the Manchester leg of HS2, scrap A-Levels and announce a long-term smoking ban. Attendees leaving the packed Manchester conference hall were effusive in their reactions to the Prime Minister – and vowed they were “confident” he could win the [...]