Watchdog probes West Coast rail franchise award to First Group and Trenitalia September 20, 2019 Britain’s competition watchdog has said it is investigating the award of the West Coast partnership to First Group and Trenitalia. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking at whether the joint operation could lead to “a substantial lessening of competition within any market”. Read more: Saga profits slump The CMA is inviting comments on [...]
How badly will the UK unemployment rate spike when furlough ends? July 22, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme has so far saved the UK unemployment rate from sharp increases during the coronavirus lockdown, but it is drawing to an end. Consequently job losses are set to spike after furlough concludes in October, according to economists. Currently the government is paying 80 per cent of over 9m British workers’ [...]
FTSE 100 plunges despite Fed’s coronavirus ‘bazooka’ March 16, 2020 The FTSE 100 has plunged despite the US Federal Reserve slashing interest rates to near zero in an emergency move to curb the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The blue-chip index was last down seven per cent as traders reckoned with the ongoing spread of coronavirus and shrugged off the Fed’s surprise intervention. Airlines and [...]
Flybe rescue secrecy is absurd January 17, 2020 So much for open government. It shouldn’t be too much to expect the ministry responsible for the public finances to disclose the potential liability to taxpayers of a private company bailout. Yet in the Treasury’s statement about the government-backed rescue of the regional airline Flybe this week, there was scant detail and even fewer numbers. [...]
UK summer strikes: Your guide to the airline strikes that could wreck your holidays August 5, 2019 You’re all set to go on your summer holiday. You’ve booked your hotel, filled every minute of the family itinerary with sight-seeing adventures, and you’ve sorted your flights. Then you get the dreaded news – your airline, or airport, is going to be hit by UK summer strikes. And what’s more, they’re right on the [...]
Let’s end the airline monopoly over Europe’s busiest airport September 12, 2019 This week’s two-day strike by British Airways (BA) pilots is not just another blow for the brand and a pain for thousands of passengers. It is also a vivid demonstration of the pitfalls of letting one airline group have an effective monopoly over many routes at Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow. Luckily, expansion at Heathrow provides the [...]
UK coronavirus: Sixth Brit dies as Covid-19 infections hit 373 March 10, 2020 A sixth person has died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, as the number of confirmed cases rises to 373. The patient, who was in their eighties and had underlying health conditions, was treated by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it appeared that the virus was [...]
Northern Rail franchise on course for financial collapse in ‘a number of months’ January 9, 2020 The crisis-stricken Northern Rail franchise is on course for a full-scale financial collapse within months, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps. In a statement citing the franchise’s most recent financial information, Shapps said the franchise could only continue to run for “a number of months” before the government stepped in. Read more: Arriva-run Northern Rail [...]
Rail franchising model set to be scrapped by Boris Johnson October 13, 2019 The UK’s rail franchising system is set to be drastically overhauled as early as next year. Plans will be announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech to scrap the current rail franchising model – where contracts are awarded to private companies to run commercial rail services – and replace it with a system based on “performance and [...]
Struggling Northern Rail franchise nationalised and renamed Northern Trains January 29, 2020 Northern Rail is to be nationalised, five years before the franchise was set to end, after months of delays, cancellations and poor financial performance. Transport secretary Grant Shapps will terminate the existing franchise for Northern and install the state’s Operator of Last Resort on 1 March as filings for a new state-run replacement – Northern [...]