Johnson has called time on Covid-19 laws but it will come at employers’ expense February 22, 2022 Yesterday, Boris Johnson set out the government’s vision on “living with Covid-19”. The main announcement was the end of the legal requirement to self-isolate if positive. By the end of this week, people will only be “advised” not to leave home if they have the virus. This signals a shift from “state mandated” rules to [...]
Caffè Nero sales almost hitting pre-Covid levels despite Omicron dent February 22, 2022 Coffee chain Caffè Nero has said its sales have returned to more than 90 per cent of pre-Covid levels. The firm reported trading for its half-year to November 2021, as well as annual results for the financial year ended May 2021. While the mergence of the Omicron Covid variant saw office workers working from home, [...]
Farmers sound alarm as more than 40,000 pigs are culled and meat thrown away due to Brexit and pandemic February 22, 2022 An estimated 200,000 pigs are backed up on farms because of a lack of skilled butchers to process them, while 40,000 animals have already been culled and their meat thrown away, farmers said this morning. Farming needs “certainty, commitment and consistency” from the Government to avoid more crises like the one engulfing the pig industry, [...]
Investigation reveals how dozens were ‘jobfished’ into thinking they worked for London design agency February 21, 2022 An investigation has found that around 50 people got “jobfished” during the pandemic and thought they worked for a glamorous design agency called Madbird. According to a BBC investigation, ‘entrepreneur’ Ali Ayad tricked dozens of people into thinking they were employees of a company called Madbird. He hired employees in sales and design roles, and instructed all [...]
Stock squeeze hindering buyers’ house hunts February 21, 2022 Nine in ten buyers have said a lack of houses on the market is hampering their property hunt. Buyers searching at the top end of the market have felt the impact of the stock crunch the most. Some 94 per cent of buyers with a budget of £1m and above reporting a lack of choice, [...]
Storm Franklin LIVE: Brits told to stay at home * Parts of tube suspended * Motorways closed * Emergency evacuations February 21, 2022 Storm Franklin so far this morning: Brits urged to stay at home Parts of London Overground suspended Multiple emergency evacuations across the UK Some motorways in Northwest closed Emergency 50mph speed restrictions introduced Train operators ihave ssued ‘a do not travel’ warning Train operator Northern has suspended ALL services in north-west England until further notice [...]
TfL long-term funding talks with government postponed until Friday February 21, 2022 Government talks over a long-term funding deal for Transport for London (TfL) have been postponed until this Friday, both transport secretary Grant Shapps and TfL have confirmed. “We have agreed with the government that our existing funding agreement will be extended until 25 February so that these discussions can be concluded,” said a TfL spokesperson. [...]
Khan’s mayoralty is an audition for Labour leader – but it’s at our expense February 21, 2022 Today was supposed to be an important day for the administration of London. The Crystal, the new home of City Hall in Newham, Royal Docks, was due to open and inaugurate a fresh chapter in our governance: a slimmed-down, more efficient headquarters for the mayor and the London Assembly in the east of the capital. [...]
Government should have allowed airlines to collapse, according to new report February 21, 2022 The government should have allowed airlines to collapse during the Covid-19 crisis to improve the long-term performance of the travel sector, according to a new report published today. The wave of taxpayer money drilled into airlines to ensure they survived the sharp drop off in passenger volumes has made the sector more imbalanced, the Institute [...]
Exclusive: One in every four shops in Cheapside are empty February 21, 2022 Oone in every four shops in Cheapside are empty, reveals research shared exclusively with City A.M. The shop vacancy rate in the shopping precinct between Bank and St. Paul’s stations has shot up from just 3.4 per cent in 2019, before the pandemic, to nearly 25 per cent this year, according to Colliers. Retailers’ income [...]