Charm offensive: Hiscox prepares to woo customers following pandemic ‘brand damage’ March 3, 2021 Insurance giant intends to build back its reputation “one policy at a time”, after the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent court case left the business facing “brand damage”. Earlier this year Hiscox came under fire after customers complained they were not being granted payouts on claims made on their business interruption insurance. In a landmark case [...]
Daily Mail owner acquires New Scientist magazine for £70m March 3, 2021 The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) has announced that its consumer media business has acquired New Scientist for £70m. A consortium of individual investors led by Sir Bernard Gray are set to sell the world’s leading science magazine. Lord Rothermere, charmain of DMGT, said: “New Scientist is a world-renowned publication loved by its readers, [...]
US ‘on track’ to vaccinate every adult by May, says Biden March 3, 2021 US President Joe Biden has said the US will have enough Covid vaccines for all adults by the end of May, but admitted the country is unlikely to get back to normal until next year. “We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May,” Biden [...]
Furlough scheme extended to September in Rishi Sunak’s Budget March 2, 2021 The UK’s furlough scheme will be extended until September in tomorrow’s Budget, ensuring the government will pay millions of people’s wages past when Covid restrictions are set to end. The chancellor said tonight that it was “only right” that the government continued to help businesses and pay workers’ wages as the UK looks to lift [...]
Brand Budget 2021: How Chancellor Rishi Sunak went loco for logos March 2, 2021 The hottest promotional video of this week came not from Netflix, but instead from a rather unexpected source: the Chancellor of the exchequer. Riding on a wave of pre-Budget excitement, Rishi Sunak this week dropped a slick five-minute film that would make any marketing team proud. But while the idea of branding a Budget is [...]
Budget 2021: What to expect from Rishi Sunak’s three-point plan tomorrow afternoon March 2, 2021 Rishi Sunak has hinted that he will extend a wide range of government support schemes in tomorrow’s Budget, as he again pledged to do “whatever it takes” to restore the British economy from the impact of the coronavirus crisis. It may be only Sunak’s second Budget as chancellor, but it comes after delivering almost a [...]
Budget: Looming tax hike met with shock and horror within the self-employed community March 2, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce new taxes on online deliveries and freelance workers in tomorrow’s Budget, largely aimed at helping to pay off the UK’s Covid spending. Moreover, he may up taxes for self-employed people. The taxes are aimed at targeting online firms like Amazon, Boohoo and Asos, which have seen profits soar [...]
Banks raise the alarm over £100 contactless payment limit March 2, 2021 Major UK banks are said to have raised concerns over an increase in the contactless payment limit to £100 due to the growing risk of fraud. In his Budget tomorrow chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to hike the cap on contactless spending from its current limit of £45. But a string of high street lenders [...]
Budget 2021: Philip Hammond tells Boris Johnson to ditch big infrastructure projects March 2, 2021 Former chancellor Lord Philip Hammond has told Boris Johnson to ditch his plans for big infrastructure projects in the North, with the UK facing its largest ever Budget deficit. Hammond said today that a better way to enact Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda was for more devolution to regions, while also calling for tax rises and [...]
Budget 2021: Tax hikes are the same as austerity and will spell Rishi Sunak’s downfall March 2, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget marks the beginning of a damaging era of austerity that risks crushing Britain’s economic recovery. While other countries are trying to jumpstart their economies, Rishi is expected to ratchet up income and corporate taxes to address the mounting deficit. The Chancellor is right that Britain’s fiscal position is not sustainable. It [...]