Campaigning against climate change doesn’t make you above the law April 18, 2019 UNTIL this week, the anti-climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion had hardly been a household name. Its various activities, like pouring fake blood onto Downing Street and stripping semi-naked during a session of the House of Commons, had been received with the sort of good humour that the British people always reserve for righteous causes [...]
Lawrence Dallaglio: England can benefit from cancelled match and World Rugby not to blame October 10, 2019 As the Rugby World Cup is thrown into turmoil by Typhoon Hagibis, England have fled the eye of the storm. World Rugby’s unprecedented decision to cancel two fixtures in Tokyo and Yokohama that were set to be hit by 100mph winds has ensured England will top their pool ahead of France and likely meet Australia [...]
Hotels stump up for new business rate bills April 7, 2019 Some of London’s most iconic hotels are facing renewed pressure from rising property taxes, according to business rate experts who fear that the sector could be hit by the latest round of bills. Real estate services firm Colliers found that 93 London hotels have been charged with a combined total rates bill of £12.2m this [...]
City law firm Fieldfisher acquires Mayfair boutique in bet on London’s hedge fund sector January 17, 2019 City law firm Fieldfisher has acquired a specialist Mayfair boutique in a bet London’s hedge fund sector will thrive post-Brexit. The City firm has acquired West End boutique Cummings Law and hired two senior partners from rival firms to launch Cummings Fisher, which will specialise in funds, derivatives, financial services regulation and fund formation work. [...]
General Election night: Who are the big MP casualties? December 13, 2019 As Frankie Valli once sang, oh what a night. On a night of a seismic shift in the UK’s political landscape, there were some huge MP casualties. Boris Johnson’s Conservatives delivered a resounding victory in a pivotal General Election that saw a throng of Labour seats turn blue. The Tories won in London seats such [...]
Londoners face the biggest rise in council tax bills as rates set to rise from April March 5, 2019 Council tax bills across England are set to rise by an average of 4.5 per cent from April, with the steepest hike coming in London, new research suggests. From the start of the financial year in April, households across Britain will see an average increase of £75.60 in the yearly Band D council tax bill, [...]
Sammy Tak Lee reignites feud with West End landlord over freedom to raise cash January 29, 2019 Hong Kong billionaire Sammy Tak Lee has ratcheted up a shareholder feud at one of London’s biggest landlords this morning, after telling investors to vote against resolutions that would allow the company to raise money through allocating more shares. West End property group Shaftesbury is bracing itself for its second investor revolt in two years after Lee, [...]
UK economy set for much-needed spending boost thanks to Chinese tourists February 5, 2019 The UK economy is set to receive an international spending boost as tourists from outside the EU continue to splash out in spite of Brexit worries. International spend will increase four per cent year-on-year over the next 90 days, according to forecasts from tourism shopping firm Global Blue. Read more: China's success will depend on the [...]
Shareholder feud mounts as Samuel Tak Lee plans to vote against re-election of Shaftesbury bosses February 7, 2019 The war of words between one of London’s largest landlords and a Hong Kong billionaire has escalated this morning in the run-up to an investor showdown set to take place tomorrow. Samuel Tak Lee, who owns a 26 per cent holding worth £700m in West End property group Shaftesbury, has revealed today that he will [...]
Crossrail crisis: Businesses react to £1.4bn bailout and further delay December 11, 2018 The crisis facing Crossrail deepened yesterday as Transport for London (TfL) confirmed that the delayed project could need up to £2bn in extra funding to keep afloat. Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild also admitted that the railway, which had already been delayed from December 2018 to autumn 2019, may not open until 2020. While the [...]