Christmas sales hike drives strong revenue growth at Asos January 13, 2021 Sales at fashion retailer Asos surged in the four months ending in December as the online shopping boom continued amid the coronavirus pandemic. The firm said that the hike in sales had led to a better-than-expected growth in revenue over the period leading up to Christmas. As a result of the strong start to the [...]
Vaccine or no vaccine, Britain must relearn how to live with risk December 4, 2020 The approval this week of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the UK heralds the beginning of the end of this hellish pandemic. People are rejoicing — and rightly so. A vaccine was the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, and with the first doses due to be administered in a matter of days, there [...]
Uber: What does the workers’ rights U-turn mean for the ride-hailing giant? March 17, 2021 Uber agreed yesterday to give its 70,000 UK drivers holiday pay and pensions following a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court. The court ruled that all UK drivers are employees of the taxi giant — rather than being self-employed — and are therefore eligible to receive holiday pay on a fortnightly basis. Susannah Streeter, senior [...]
Could the ‘circular economy’ be the answer to post-Covid growth? February 18, 2021 January’s third lockdown and fallout from Brexit have added insult to the injuries inflicted in 2020, and Britain’s economic outlook hasn’t been looking very bright in recent weeks. With the Chancellor continuing to pump money into relief schemes, with more desperately needed cash set to be announced in the March budget, those early pandemic conversations [...]
Forget the polls endorsing lockdowns and look at how people actually behave October 28, 2020 Economics is at long last storming the bastions of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). This citadel of epidemiologists and health professionals has for many months resisted the lessons which the so-called gloomy science can bring. In the context of Covid-19, economics is in fact a beacon of hope. This week, news broke of [...]
When will our lives begin? What I learned from 2020 — and from Disney’s Tangled December 31, 2020 Like so many people tasked with entertaining children over Christmas, I have spent the last week watching an inordinate amount of Disney. That is to be expected. What I did not expect was finding the ultimate lockdown song. I am talking of the opening number from Tangled, the 2010 version of Rapunzel, entitled “When will [...]
Social media firms to crack down on Covid-19 vaccine disinformation November 9, 2020 Major social media platforms have agreed a package of measures with the government in an effort to limit the spread of disinformation about any Covid-19 vaccine. Following a meeting with health secretary Matt Hancock and digital secretary Oliver Dowden, Facebook, Twitter and Google endorsed the principle that no company should profit from false or misleading [...]
SFO launches money laundering probe into Gupta family over ties to Greensill Capital May 14, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said this morning it is launching an investigation into the Gupta Family Group Alliance. “The SFO is investigating suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), including its financing arrangements with Greensill [...]
Exclusive: ‘Pool Re’ style scheme could help insurers fund Covid-19 cover, says Beazley CEO February 5, 2021 The CEO of insurer Beazley is hopeful that insurers will be able to provide cover against infectious diseases like Covid-19 in the future, but said a government backstop may be needed to press ahead. It is not possible to get insurance on Covid-19-related cancellation cover on events this year, because the chances of an event [...]
Sir James Dyson has moved back to UK, docs show, as tax row continues April 21, 2021 Sir James Dyson has moved back to the UK, Companies House documents show, amid a row over texts the billionaire vacuum cleaner maker exchanged with Boris Johnson over tax problems during the pandemic. The documents, which were first reported by the Telegraph, show that Dyson’s new residence is in the UK. He had moved to [...]