Heathrow: New £10 transit charge will make the UK ‘less competitive’ September 12, 2024 The government announced on Tuesday the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) would be rolled-out to all nationalities visiting the UK next year.
Pensioners and the politics of perceptions September 12, 2024 The furore over winter fuel payments is driven by the false idea that pensioners are uniformly old, frail and poor. But in politics, feelings often matter as much as facts, says John Oxley This week’s tussle over the winter fuel allowance has highlighted one of the problems of our politics – how much of it [...]
Former Chelsea boss persuaded us to hire Pochettino, say US football chiefs September 11, 2024 US football chiefs have admitted that a glowing reference from Emma Hayes helped persuade them to break the bank and hire Mauricio Pochettino as men’s national team manager. Pochettino will lead the Americans into a home World Cup in 2026 after agreeing to a contract worth $6m (£4.6m) a year – almost four times predecessor [...]
Howard de Walden: Loss more than doubles at London property empire September 11, 2024 The London property empire which includes Marylebone Village and Harley Street saw its pre-tax loss more than doubled during its latest financial year. Howard de Walden Estates Holdings, which also includes some of the capital’s prime shopping areas as well as hundreds of homes, has reported a pre-tax loss of £254.2m for the year to [...]
Dunelm prepares to open first London stores as sales and profit rise September 11, 2024 London-listed homeware retailer Dunelm has seen its sales tick up despite its customers facing “competing demands” for their disposable income. The Leicester-headquartered firm saw its overall revenue climb to £1.7bn in the 12 months to 29 June 2024, up from £1.64bn the previous year—growth of 4.1 per cent. This increase was largely driven by 6.2 [...]
Failure to solve rental crisis will hurt Labour for years to come September 11, 2024 Ahead of the election, Labour devoted 1,000 words of its 142-page manifesto to its plans for house building, the planning system, and the private rented sector.
Tory leadership race: Mel Stride knocked out as MPs whittle candidates to four September 10, 2024 Mel Stride has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race as Conservative MPs voted to whittle the remaining candidates down to four. The former work and pensions secretary received just 16 votes, the lowest number of votes, meaning he was eliminated from the process, while Robert Jenrick led the pack on 33 votes. Kemi [...]
Winter fuel payments: Just one Labour MP rebels in Commons vote on policy September 10, 2024 Just one Labour MP – Jon Trickett – rebelled against the government in a House of Commons vote on plans to means test the winter fuel payment to pensioners. The government won the vote with 348 votes in favour to 228 against, while some MPs – including 53 Labour members – abstained on the ballot, [...]
Gen-Z hates stilton – of course they do, they’re not mature enough September 10, 2024 While Gen-Z go loopy for smashed avo on toast, the passage through life will inevitably lead them to stilton, writes Andy Blackmore Around 554 moons ago as I chortled my way through Monty Python’s Life of Brian, I chuckled my little heart out to one line without understanding the meaning. Now, 45 years later I’ve [...]
Wickes profit down by almost a quarter as sector struggles September 10, 2024 Profit at British DIY and home improvement retailer Wickes fell by almost a quarter over the past six months as sales slowed across the entire home improvement market. The London-listed company, which is headquartered in Watford, reported an adjusted pre-tax profit of £23.4m during the six months ending 29 June, 2024, down just under 25 [...]