Carillion share price: Behind the scenes of the construction giant’s annus horribilis December 21, 2017 Troubled construction giant Carillion hit the headlines again yesterday after it announced its interim chief executive Keith Cochrane will be replaced almost three months earlier than planned. When Andrew Davies, who was set to take over on 2 April 2018, starts on 22 January, he will become the company’s third chief executive in six months. [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s tax hikes in yesterday’s Spring Budget spell political trouble March 9, 2017 Philip Hammond was beaten up pretty badly at last night’s meeting of Tory MPs. Colleagues rounded on him for hiking a tax on the self-employed (for which one can read, entrepreneurs) and for another raid on dividend payment tax relief. How exactly are Tory MPs meant to sell this to their voters? And how does [...]
Now Tube workers on the Piccadilly line are voting on strikes October 27, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has been busy. Yesterday it announced it was balloting Southern Rail drivers over the long-running dispute on the role of guards, and 3,500 London Underground staff following a security incident at North Greenwich Tube station. The union said the incident had put safety "back at the top of the agenda". Read [...]
Thousands of London Underground staff vote to go on strike, says RMT November 15, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced that workers on the London Underground have voted to go on strike in two separate disputes. The RMT carried out two separate ballots: one of 400 Piccadilly Line drivers and the other of over 3,000 station workers. The union said the former was over a "wholesale breakdown" [...]
How can brands avoid social media crises? February 16, 2017 The London Dungeon apologised this week after its “dark Valentine campaign” on social media drew widespread criticism. This incident got me revisiting a familiar issue: how can brands avoid social media crises? With policies, practice runs and neutral second opinions. There are often just a few origins for social media crises: Misjudgement: Brands can [...]
Central London bulked up on budget gyms last year with 46 per cent of new openings in the low-cost sector January 5, 2017 Londoners may want to get healthy (especially after the Christmas and New Year excess fest), but they also don't want to break the bank while they do it. Almost half (46 per cent) of the new gyms that opened in Central London last year were budget gyms, classed as having membership plans costing less than [...]
Employers must act early when strike action looms: Industrial action and what can be done January 13, 2017 Strike action is continuing to cause significant disruption for commuters, business travellers and holidaymakers in early 2017 – but could it have been prevented? Southern Rail has announced that it is going ahead with three-day stoppages of its train services this month – the first started this week – and British Airways’ cabin crew held a 48-hour strike [...]
Queen’s speech: Here’s the full text, featuring a flurry of Brexit bills June 21, 2017 The much-anticipated Queen's speech for 2017 has been delivered, outlining Theresa May's plans and her pledge to win "the trust and confidence" of the British people. Below is the full text of the speech. The Queen's speech 2017 My Lords and Members of the House of Commons. My government’s priority is to secure the best [...]
Queen’s speech 2017: Here’s the full text of Theresa May’s plan covering Brexit, HS2 but no mention of US President Donald Trump visit June 21, 2017 The much anticipated Queen’s speech for 2017 has been delivered, outlining Theresa May’s plans and her pledge to win “the trust and confidence” of the British people. Read more: Live: The Queen’s speech The Queen’s speech: The full text My Lords and Members of the House of Commons. My government’s priority is to secure the [...]
Sorry, Southern rail commuters, your boss can still ask you to keep coming into the office December 19, 2016 Commuters who rely on Southern rail to get to and from the office will understand the pain of trying to keep calm and carry on during strike action. The rail services are being affected by a conductors' strike, orchestrated by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, today, tomorrow and from 31 December to 2 January. RMT [...]