London losing out due to ‘tourist tax’ as US and Gulf visitors opt for Paris and Milan instead August 14, 2023 London is losing out on wealthy foreign visitors splashing their cash in Oxford Street due to the so-called ‘tourist tax’, amid renewed calls to scrap it and make the capital more competitive. The removal of VAT free shopping for international tourists continues to hurt London retailers, with visitors from the US and the Gulf cutting [...]
No end in sight: Nearly 4m working days lost to strikes in past year as negotiations falter August 14, 2023 Talks between government and unions to resolve ongoing industrial disputes have repeatedly faltered, despite the UK losing nearly 4m working days to strikes over the past year. According to new research from the Resolution Foundation think tank, 3.9m working days have been lost to industrial action, higher than at any point since the 1980s. Highly [...]
Vote blue, go green? A climate takeover of the Conservatives is an unlikely feat August 14, 2023 The eco-warriors among the Conservatives are a small but growing number, albeit not fast enough to turnaround an anti-green slant Rishi Sunak has implemented, writes Eliot Wilson.
UK economy shrugs off recession risk after growing faster than expected August 11, 2023 The UK grew faster than expected in the second quarter of the year as the economy proved itself more resilient to rising rates than many had expected, helping to reduce the risk of recession. Across the second quarter, the economy grew 0.2 per cent following a 0.1 per cent expansion in the first quarter, the [...]
HS2 status update: Now they’re burying the diggers August 10, 2023 Engineers are being forced to bury diggers at Old Oak Common in case ministers give the go-ahead for project's Euston leg
Watches of Switzerland: Tourist tax ‘biggest single frustration’ for UK retailers August 10, 2023 The government’s decision to scrap VAT-free shopping for tourists is continuing to hold UK retailers back, Watches of Switzerland has warned. Chief executive of the FTSE 250 luxury watch seller Brian Duffy told City A.M. it was “probably the biggest single frustration” for the British retail sector. “I was in Italy this weekend and the [...]
Is chess a sport? It soon may be chasing the Olympic Holy Grail August 10, 2023 Columnist Ed Warner discusses chess, funding fringe sports and what makes a solid sporting body chief executive. Where do you draw the line between games and sports? Mine is at the door of the pub, so ruling dominos, bar billiards, space invaders and darts out of the sporting firmament. I realise of course that this [...]
Tory revolt over new oil boiler ban heats up as minister compares it to ‘rural ULEZ’ August 8, 2023 Former environment secretary George Eustice has compared the proposed bans on new oil boilers to the Ulez car ban in London.
The Notebook: Jimmy McLoughlin on Nick Hungerford’s legacy, the decline of City events and the PM’s chess move August 8, 2023 Where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s Jimmy McLoughlin, former No 10 advisor and now podcast host. Cause or correlation? Either way, a charity worth supporting Nick Hungerford, the well-liked and respected entrepreneur behind Nutmeg, passed away last month aged just 42. Before he died, he and his wife set up a charity – [...]
Business groups urge UK to scrap hike in migrant worker visa fees August 7, 2023 Business groups have called on the government to scrap its planned increase in visa fees for migrant workers, arguing the change will make it harder to deal with ongoing labour shortages. In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, John Dickie, chief executive of lobby group BusinessLDN, urged the government to rethink the move. “At [...]