The answer to Britain’s housing crisis is more houses – not risky mortgages October 11, 2020 Housing experts were left scratching their heads this week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his flagship policy to get young people on the housing ladder: bigger mortgages. Johnson plans to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by offering long-term, fixed-rate mortgages of up to 95 per cent of the value of the home. He [...]
BT scraps dividend as Covid-19 and full-fibre rollout hit profit May 7, 2020 BT today scrapped its dividend as the coronavirus crisis and full-fibre broadband costs weighed on profit. The telecoms giant said it had taken the “exceptionally difficult” decision to suspend the payout until 2022, when it will be reduced 50 per cent to 7.7p per share. It came as BT posted a two per cent dip [...]
BBC suspends job cuts as it doubles down on pandemic coverage March 25, 2020 The BBC has halted plans to slash 450 jobs as it faces growing demand for its coverage during the coronavirus crisis. The broadcaster said in January it would cut the roles from its news operations as part of a plan to save £80m by 2022. The cuts are set to impact Newsnight, which will produce [...]
Fashion victims: What next for the high street after Topshop and Debenhams go online-only? January 25, 2021 Topshop and Debenhams are set to disappear from the high street after e-commerce giants Boohoo and Asos swooped on the beleaguered retailers, reflecting the dramatic impact the pandemic has had on the UK retail sector. The decision to take former high street stalwarts Debenhams and Topshop digital-only strengthens experts’ predictions that the growth of online [...]
UK retailers warn shoppers face price hikes if no EU trade deal agreed July 10, 2020 Britain’s retail industry has warned that consumers could face higher prices next year if the UK is unable to reach a tariff-free EU trade deal. The British Retail Consortium said the industry could not absorb the additional costs of tariffs, meaning the hike in prices would be passed on to consumers whose finances have already [...]
‘I’m somebody who enjoys winning’: Sadiq Khan plots out a second mayoral term May 4, 2021 If the polls are to be believed Sadiq Khan will win Thursday’s mayor of London election by a record margin. Khan’s 20+ point lead has never slipped and his opponents have never laid a glove on him, despite having an extra year of campaigning thanks to Covid. The Labour incumbent has ran an energetic and [...]
When will the government stop hanging bars out to dry? October 23, 2020 “Dreadful evening, so many bookings cancelled, sent half the staff home” “So many cancellations after new announcements — no way we could police it.” “Much, much lower takings, any good momentum we had is gone.” This is the real, unfiltered voice of the hospitality industry. These direct quotes from our bars’ manager reports last Saturday [...]
Morrisons cuts fuel prices as oil prices dip lower March 23, 2020 Supermarket Morrisons has announced a reduction in forecourt fuel prices. Effective from today, unleaded and diesel will be reduced by 12 and 8p a litre respectively. Morrisons said this will save the average customer £6 on unleaded and £4 on diesel. Although prices vary locally, Morrisons currently charges 116p a litre for unleaded and 118.5p [...]
Sadiq Khan is wrong — extending the furlough scheme would hinder London’s recovery, not help it June 25, 2020 Warning of a “looming unemployment crisis”, Sadiq Khan this week made an appeal for a further extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), under which more than a million Londoners have been furloughed. His concern for London jobs is understandable. But it would be wrong to continue the scheme beyond October. Furloughing made sense [...]
Guardian to axe 180 jobs as revenue plunges July 15, 2020 The Guardian has announced plans to cut 180 jobs in both its editorial and commercial departments, after revenue plunged more than £25m during the coronavirus crisis. The newspaper group said the job cuts will mostly affect its advertising, Guardian Jobs, marketing and Guardian Live departments, with 70 additional redundancies in its editorial unit. The job [...]