Tailed in Zurich: How the Credit Suisse spy drama unfolded October 1, 2019 Not many employees start their first day in the new job with a spying scandal hanging over their head. But so it is for Iqbal Khan, the star banker who began life at UBS today against a backdrop of car chases, cocktail party bust-ups and private investigations. While it may read like the plot of [...]
Four things you need to know about BP’s results October 29, 2019 BP released its third quarter update this morning and with the oil giant announcing a $749m (£581.3m) loss, it was not pretty reading for investors. Fuelled by weaker oil prices and a hit from hurricanes, BP’s share price dropped nearly four per cent to 493p. However, the company still beat analyst expectations despite its poor [...]
Sorry not sorry: End the apology culture in business October 15, 2019 When David Neeleman, the founder of American airline JetBlue, published a YouTube video entitled “Our Promise to You” in 2007, it was the first corporate social media apology. The video set the standard for modern crisis management. Snow storms and bad planning had forced the airline to cancel more than a thousand flights, affecting over [...]
RBS swings to loss in wake of £900m PPI charges October 24, 2019 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) swung to a loss during the last quarter as a rush of payment protection insurance (PPI) claims caused a £900m hit to the lender’s balance sheet. RBS reports an operating loss of £8m for the nine months to the end of September 2019, falling from £961m in the same period last [...]
Five memorable times Donald Trump interfered with British politics December 2, 2019 With Donald Trump set to arrive in London tonight for a planned Nato summit on Wednesday, Boris Johnson has asked the US President not to interfere with the UK’s general election. Johnson told reporters last week that it would be “best” if Trump steered clear of speaking about UK politics, with senior Tory figures concerned [...]
Power to the People: What’s really behind the People’s Vote power struggle November 18, 2019 The bitter row among rival factions in the People’s Vote campaign ostensibly came to an end last week when controversial chairman Roland Rudd resigned. Rudd, also chairman of PR firm Finsbury, faced three weeks of public insurrection from staff after sacking People’s Vote director James McGrory and communications chief Tom Baldwin in what was described as a “boardroom coup”. Read more: [...]
Giro d’Italia chief wants cycling rule change to avoid repeat of Chris Froome saga May 3, 2018 Cycling must change its rules to avoid a repeat of the Chris Froome saga or risk further damage to the sport, says the boss of the Giro d’Italia. Froome is among the riders set to begin the Giro on Friday despite his anti-doping case remaining unresolved – more than seven months after a sample the [...]
Has Priti Patel thought through the implications of abruptly ending free movement? August 20, 2019 Priti Patel, fresh from announcing that she wants criminals to feel “terror” at the thought of breaking the law and following last week’s Home Office brainwave to print anti-knife messages on the packaging of products from chicken restaurants, has a new plan. The home secretary has revealed her intention to end freedom of movement from [...]
Wales face a battle to qualify for Euro 2020 but will be boosted by Gareth Bale’s and Aaron Ramsey’s return to fitness November 12, 2019 As the final weekend of qualifying matches approaches, Wales’s place at Euro 2020 remains in the balance. Fourth in Group E, the 2016 semi-finalists are four points off second-placed Hungary albeit with a game in hand. They face the Hungarians in the final round of qualifiers next Tuesday where, should Wales first beat Azerbaijan on [...]
As others look inward, the City is keeping its eye on the world September 2, 2019 Domestic and international politics, as well as the latest developments in the Brexit saga, are set to dominate the headlines in the coming weeks and months. While we cannot simply put the Brexit question to one side, we must remember that it is just one – admittedly important – part of a bigger picture: the [...]