UK economy: Five charts that show we face a long road to recovery June 13, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the UK economy into an unprecedented crisis, with GDP shrinking by a record 20.4 per cent April as lockdown measures hammered businesses. The Bank of England has warned that Britain could be heading for its deepest recession in three centuries this year. It is widely believed that April will mark [...]
Brits spent an extra £1.9bn in stockpiling spree before coronavirus lockdown March 31, 2020 Brits made over 79 million extra trips to supermarkets in the four weeks leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as people rushed to stock up on groceries ahead of restrictions being introduced, according to industry data. The stockpiling drove a 20.5 per cent jump in supermarket sales up to 21 March, with customers spending an [...]
We’ve got the power: Decarbonising our transport on the road to a greener nation February 21, 2020 The government will soon publish its strategy on cutting emissions from cars, trains, boats and planes — and already the transport secretary has suggested that sales of combustion and hybrid vehicles could be banned from 2035. Change comes with questions. For example: how clean is our electricity? And can Britain’s energy infrastructure meet the demand [...]
Coronavirus: What is the NHS contact-tracing app and how does it work? May 5, 2020 The eagerly-awaited NHS contact-tracing app has been rolled out for the first time today, with key workers on the Isle of Wight the first to trial the new technology. The smartphone app, which is available to healthcare and council workers from today and the rest of the island from Thursday, is expected to be rolled [...]
Coronavirus: The banks must step up to the plate April 6, 2020 It’s all down to the banks, now. Not necessarily a phrase to induce confidence a mere eleven years after the banking crisis, but it is true. The Chancellor has pulled out all the stops to provide support mechanisms for companies and employees during the Covid -19 crisis. His rapid actions in the first phase [...]
Watchdog to introduce credit card gambling ban from April January 14, 2020 The gambling watchdog today confirmed it will ban the act of betting with credit card deposits from April. The block will target all online and offline betting to clamp down on problem gambling, apart from “non-remote lotteries” like the National Lottery, where payments are taken face to face. “The ban that we have announced today [...]
FTSE 100 tumbles as US-China tensions rise over Hong Kong May 29, 2020 The FTSE 100 tumbled in afternoon trading to close 2.5 per cent lower lower as a spike in tensions between the US and China shook investors. London’s main stock index closed at 6,061 points. It nonetheless finished higher for the week, with many analysts saying investors were profit-taking today. US stocks also fell, although their [...]
Santander and Visa veterans join UK Finance board October 14, 2019 UK Finance has added Santander executive Susan Allen and chief executive of Visa Europe Charlotte Hogg to its board. Allen is Santander’s head of retail and business banking in the UK, and is responsible for the bank’s 15 million retail and business customers in the UK, as well as its nationwide network of branches. Read [...]
The Trump train hits Pennsylvania: A day in the key US election swing state October 27, 2020 Billy Joel’s 1982 song Allentown tells the tale of disaffected steel industry cities in North East Pennsylvania that were ravaged by deindunstrialisation and globalisation. Joel talks about blue collar workers from places like Allentown and Bethlehem that were left unemployed and pushed to the fringe of American culture in exchange for cheaper labour and products. [...]
Metro Bank launches cash delivery service to woo smaller firms December 16, 2019 Struggling high-street lender Metro Bank has launched a new on-demand cash collection and delivery service in a bid to attract the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses. The challenger bank has today started accepting registrations for the service, called MCash, that it said could help the 4.2m smaller UK firms that rely on physical money. Read [...]