Private equity firms circle embattled retailer THG February 6, 2022 Troubled e-commerce retailer THG is being circled by private equity firms for a potential buyout. Representatives from Advent International have reportedly visited the firm’s Manchester headquarters while LA-based Leonard Green is understood to have also expressed an interest. Shares leapt 16 per cent on Friday following speculation about private equity interest in a Betaville blog [...]
Hunt: ‘No conceivable circumstances’ where HS2 does NOT reach Euston – as £1bn spend on its station is breached January 27, 2023 HS2 Ltd’s work at Euston started six years ago with more than £1 billion already spent, as chancellor Jeremy Hunt said it’s not “conceivable” it won’t reach London. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which HS2 would not run to its planned central London terminus at Euston, amid reports [...]
Trevor Steven’s Premier League preview: Big seasons in store for Liverpool and Tottenham August 5, 2022 It pains me to write this as a former Evertonian, but I think it could be Liverpool’s year again in the Premier League – although they and Manchester City will find Tottenham Hotspur snapping at their heels. Most of the big clubs have been quick to strengthen ahead of the new season, making early signings [...]
Summer getaway: Dover ‘critical incident’ blamed on French border staff being ‘woefully inadequate’ July 22, 2022 Dover authorities have slammed “woefully inadequate” staffing levels at the French border, with queues on UK motorways tailing back for miles. Ferry operators told travellers to leave several hours to account for delays, while motoring group RAC urged drivers to set off early in a bid to beat long queues. There was a perfect storm [...]
Sturgeon and Burnham row over Covid travel ban compensation heats up June 21, 2021 Scottish First minister Nicola Sturgeon and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham are engaged in a war of words over the Scottish Government’s decision to impose a Covid-19 travel ban on parts of north west England. Burnham continued his criticism of the restrictions, saying he felt people in his region had been “insulted” by Sturgeon’s approach and [...]
Travel chaos hits new low: Thousands of airline passengers forced to wait outside airport for hours May 9, 2022 Thousands of airline passengers at Birmingham Airport were forced to wait in long queues outside for several hours as the aviation sector continues to suffer from staff shortages. The situation on Monday was described as “absolute chaos” and “manic” by travellers on Twitter. One person said it took her “two hours to get through check-in [...]
Manchester United’s attack looks reinvigorated with Anthony Martial allowing Marcus Rashford to flourish December 12, 2019 A lot can change in a week. Just eight days ago Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s position as Manchester United manager looked under serious threat: the club had won just six league games in the last 22 ahead of difficult ties against Tottenham and Manchester City, while Mauricio Pochettino appeared to be waiting in the wings. Today, [...]
Virgin Atlantic launches raft of new Caribbean routes for winter sunseekers August 11, 2021 Virgin Atlantic has today announced a raft of new routes serving the Caribbean as it bets on increased customer demand for sun-soaked getaways after the pandemic. The carrier is launching its first direct flight to Barbados from Edinburgh, as well as adding extra flights to the island from Manchester and Heathrow. In total, it will [...]
Five things we learned this weekend: United show Rangnick hallmarks to hold Chelsea November 28, 2021 We may not yet know how much he influenced Manchester United’s approach in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday but their approach bore some of the hallmarks of Ralf Rangnick. Rangnick is expected to arrive at United this week to take up the role of interim manager until the end of the season, when [...]
We don’t need more puppet devolution with Whitehall still holding the purse strings December 13, 2022 There is no doubt in my mind that devolution is the right way forward for local politics and for the UK as a whole. As a former Mayor and local politician, I know that if you want to make a difference to your local community, and if you want to improve the place where you [...]