Business leaders urge government to commit to HS2 June 22, 2019 Top business groups have penned an open letter urging the next prime minister to commit to delivering HS2 in full. The letter argued full support for the £56bn rail project was vital for the flow of investment not just in the north of England, but across the whole of the UK. Read more: HS2 bulldozes [...]
Ford and Volkswagen to team up on development of next-generation pickup truck March 28, 2019 German car making giant Volkswagen has penned a deal to produce a pickup truck with US rival Ford, as discussions continue over extending an alliance between the two firms. Volkswagen and Ford announced last year they were in talks to work on a range of commercial vehicles, later branching out even further to include electric [...]
Tesla looks to strengthen with $2.3bn fundraising round May 2, 2019 Tesla will look to raise around $2.3bn (£1.76bn) by issuing new shares and debt, with chief executive Elon Musk pitching in $10m of his own cash to buy shares. The electric car maker said this afternoon it has filed with regulators to launch the fundraising, after it lost $700m in the first three months of [...]
UK economy ‘treading water’ as services sector struggles back to marginal growth May 3, 2019 Britain’s services sector improved just enough to return to growth last month after shrinking in March, but the economy remained “more or less stalled” according to analysts. Read more: US services sector continues its trend of solid growth The services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) stood at 50.4 in April, compared to a more than two-year [...]
Lifting the lockdown: Boris Johnson’s speech in full May 10, 2020 On Sunday evening the Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation, outlining the steps Britain will take as the coronavirus lockdown lifts. Below is the transcript of his speech. It is now almost two months since the people of this country began to put up with restrictions on their freedom – your freedom – of [...]
How global cities are promoting sustainability and helping to fight climate change December 9, 2019 The 2016 Paris Agreement gave the world a sense of hope that politicians could work together to limit temperature rises to 2 degrees centigrade. However, much has changed since the milestone agreement. More frequent extreme weather events, increasing political nationalism and growing economic inequality are making the goal of a carbon neutral world by 2050 [...]
Rishi Sunak Summer Statement: All the Chancellor’s spending pledges July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a raft of measures in his Summer Statement in a bid to help the UK economy recover from the worst effects of coronavirus. The Treasury boss revealed massive public spending to bolster the UK economy in what people are calling his mini-Budget. While he did not extend the government’s furlough [...]
Kier shares soar 40 per cent as it chips away at debt pile August 1, 2019 Kier Group investors rejoiced this morning as they were treated to a rare piece of good news: that the firm is regaining control of its debt. The firm also said it had attracted “significant interest” in its house building arm, which it is trying to sell to reduce its debt. Read more: Kier shares plunge [...]
Sir Philip Green to close 25 more stores than initially planned May 25, 2019 Sir Philip Green's Arcadia is set to close 25 more stores than the initial 23 it announced earlier this week. The Topshop and Dorothy Perkins owner revealed 23 stores would shut down earlier this week as part of plans to save the company. Read more: Sir Philip Green told to put his own cash into Arcadia [...]
Dog Fight: Why competition must be at the heart of the Heathrow expansion project June 27, 2019 In 1968, the Roskill Commission recommended the expansion of Heathrow. Last week, the airport’s owner, Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), said that it would finish increasing its size and capacity by 2050 – 31 years from now and 88 since the original findings. We need a bigger Heathrow sooner than that, one that can cater for [...]