Political deaths in 2023: The famous faces we said goodbye to this year December 26, 2023 As we end the year, it’s time to look back at the lives of those we lost from Westminster throughout 2023.
WH Smith swings back to profit as retailer eyes global expansion November 10, 2022 WH Smith is back in the black after footfall to airports and railway stations returned this year, following the opening up of society post-Covid. The high street staple posted group profit before tax of £63m for the year to the end of August, compared to a loss of £116m it booked the year previously. WH [...]
Lloyds Bank profit poised to be held back by setting aside millions to cope with cost of living defaults February 20, 2023 A build up of reserves to cope with an expected jump in loan defaults and a slow down in the mortgage market is expected to have held back profits at Lloyds Bank last year, results out on Wednesday could show. Britain’s biggest mortgage lender is poised to be the latest bank to underwhelm markets in [...]
Shell offers £2.8bn in share buybacks as profits slide to £5.1bn as commodity boom eases November 2, 2023 Shell is the latest energy giant to post a sharp downturn in profits, unveiling £5.1bn earnings over the third quarter — a 40 per cent decline year-on-year.
Thirty American candy shops on Oxford Street probed over tax dodging claims June 13, 2022 Dozens of American-candy shops on Oxford Street are being probed over claims they failed to pay £7.9m in business rates. Westminster City Council said on Monday that it had seized counterfeit and illegal goods amounting to a £474,000 sum over the past six months. The council told the BBC that the 30 shops under investigation [...]
Row over why London built just one affordable home a month August 15, 2023 A row has broken out over why London has built just one affordable home a month, amid warnings the capital’s housing crisis is fast catapulting into an emergency situation. Figures published today reveal just three affordable homes were started by City Hall during April, May and June 2023 – while stats for previous years extend [...]
Six graphs that explain the UK economy ahead of Bank of England’s interest rate decision January 25, 2024 Markets are convinced that a rate cut is coming, likely in the first half of this year. So far, the Bank has not been persuaded.
Exclusive: Business rates hike a ‘ticking time bomb’ for London economy, Mayor warns November 29, 2022 Thousands of squeezed London businesses are now facing a “ticking time bomb” in the form of coming tax hikes, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned. Khan revealed to City A.M. last night that business rates will increase in 28 of the capital’s 32 boroughs in 2023, just as the UK is predicted to go into [...]
When it comes to flexible working, what matters is output July 15, 2024 Debates about working from home should be based on evidence, not an inter-generational culture war, says Eliot Wilson We have been debating the benefits and challenges of “flexible working” for decades, but it was the enforced disruption of the Covid-19 lockdown which forced the issue to the top of employers’ agendas. Like many crises, the [...]
More support with energy bills unlikely this winter, admits Grant Shapps August 7, 2023 Grant Shapps has warned households are unlikely to receive fresh support from the government this winter for their energy bills.