Wanted: A minister for hospitality December 22, 2020 The hospitality industry — which provided work to more than 3.2m people before the pandemic struck — has been hit harder than virtually any other sector by Covid-19. But while the latest ONS figures show that a staggering 78 per cent of businesses in the accommodation and food services industry have been impacted, there is [...]
‘I just feel like crying’ – chefs react to ‘cruel’ Tier 3 restrictions December 14, 2020 London restaurateurs and chefs reacted with frustration and despair at the “cruel” news London will enter Tier 3, a period of virtual lockdown that will see bars and restaurants closed until the new year. Unlike the first lockdown, Tier 3 allows non-essential shops to remain open, adding to criticism from the hospitality sector that it [...]
Spending review live: Sunak pledges cash for city centres and transport but aid and public sector pay cut November 25, 2020 Spending review live: Sunak pledges cash for city centres and transport but aid and public sector pay cut
Energy firms call on government to embrace emissions trading after Brexit transition ends November 24, 2020 Leading energy companies have urged the UK to embrace carbon trading after the Brexit transition period concludes and not adopt a carbon tax instead. In a letter to Boris Johnson, the group, which includes firms such as RWE and Uniper, said that tradable carbon credits remain the best way of cutting emissions. At the moment, [...]
Don’t bid farewell to all the Brexit fish just yet November 24, 2020 So long, and thanks for all the fish. Not only book four in the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (“in five parts”) by Douglas Adams, but also, apparently, a negotiating strategy. The UK-EU trade talks are said to be trapped on a handful of unresolved issues, and one of them swims. We could be [...]
Households face hike in energy bills due to Covid ‘bad debt’ November 20, 2020 Millions of households could see their energy bills hiked by £21 in order to compensate suppliers for unpaid customer debts incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. Energy watchdog Ofgem is mulling whether to increase the energy price cap for 11m homes to allow suppliers to recoup these “bad debts”. The regulator said that it expected [...]
UK inflation picks up despite lockdowns as clothing prices rise November 18, 2020 Prices picked up across the UK economy in October, the latest figures have shown, with clothing pushing inflation higher after disruption to the sector earlier in the year. Consumer price index inflation came in at 0.7 per cent on an annual basis last month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. That was up from [...]
National Grid profit slides as Covid costs increase November 12, 2020 Energy firm National Grid posted a 12 per cent decline in profit for the first half as the coronavirus pandemic increased the network owner’s costs. Underlying profit fell from £1.3bn to £1.15bn in the six month period, which the FTSE 100 company said was down to rising bad debt provisions and a shortfall in revenue. [...]
Joe Biden must not let anti-capitalist climate zealots capture his presidency November 9, 2020 As the world prepares for the coming Biden administration, a fundamental question looms both for Americans and for the wider world: which Joe Biden will govern as President? He has long defined himself as a moderate, a centrist, a bipartisan consensus-finder — but recently his Democratic Party has moved significantly to the left, and in [...]
Water spending rebellion could cost households billions, says Citizens Advice October 30, 2020 Citizens Advice has waded into a row between the competition and water watchdogs over new spending rules for the country’s water companies. According to the charity, households could lose out on a combined £3.7bn across the next five years if the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) sticks with its decision to back a rebellion against [...]