Tory backbench rebellion grows as crucial vote on social care plan approaches November 22, 2021 Anger from MPs that the least well-off may still have to sell their homes to pay for their care under the latest government plans is fuelling a backbench rebellion. MPs will consider on Monday whether to accept changes to the Government’s proposed social care reforms. But Red Wall Tory Christian Wakeford had warned that it [...]
Consumer confidence edges up on Eat Out to Help Out boost October 25, 2020 Consumer confidence continued to climb over the last three months from a record low at the height of the pandemic, after the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme provided a welcome boost to Britain’s ailing high streets. Deloitte’s quarterly Consumer Tracker found British shoppers’ confidence edged up one percentage point to minus 16 in [...]
Triple-lock: How Boris and Rishi can both have their cake and eat it August 18, 2021 Is the triple-lock on its last legs? That question seems increasingly relevant in Whitehall. Average earnings rose by 8.8 per cent last month, including bonuses, according to figures published by the ONS yesterday. Moreover, earnings figures released next month are expected to set next year’s increase in the State Pension. So why is this relevant? The [...]
Interview: IoD’s new chief economist delivers damning verdict on Tory tax hikes October 4, 2021 After just a month or so into the job, the freshly appointed chief economist of the organisation that represents British business leaders is wasting no time in weighing in on the ails of the UK economy, shooting down one area in particular – tax. Kitty Ussher of the Institute of Directors (IoD) has slammed the [...]
Exclusive: ‘Under Boris, the tail has been wagging the dog way too much’, says Charlie Mullins June 30, 2021 Discussing new health secretary Sajid Javid with London’s best-known plumber, entrepreneur Charlie Mullins, it becomes instantly clear that the founder of Pimlico Plumbers is a big fan. “In 2020, Sajid Javid chose to quit as Chancellor and walk out of Number 11 rather than bow down to Dominic Cummings and the Prime Minister and sack [...]
Saturday sitdown: Whistle king Simon Topman on surviving two world wars and a global pandemic February 19, 2022 With businesses around the world managing the Covid pandemic and each facing their own set of challenges, City A.M. caught up with Simon Topman, managing director of 150-year-old ACME Whistles, to blow the whistle on how this pandemic has differed from two world wars and other global disasters. Since inventing and making the first ever [...]
The City View: Victoria Scholar on rising prices, unemployment and retail sales data; and XR cause Lloyd’s of London HQ shutdown April 12, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at Interactive Investor. They go through some of the week’s economics data on GDP, unemployment, retail sales, and talk trading updates. They discuss the latest from ASOS, Deliveroo, and EasyJet: ASOS is facing a raft of headwinds, as investors lose confidence in the online retailer; [...]
UK hospitality firms predict 41 per cent drop in summer sales August 27, 2020 UK hospitality firms are predicting a 41 per cent drop in sales over the summer months, although businesses are optimistic that trade will pick up this winter. According to the latest research, six per cent of hospitality and leisure sector companies are confident about growth this summer. However confidence surges in the winter months, with [...]
How New York invented the business breakfast February 25, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Melissa York’s trip to New York to find the original business breakfast. ••• Every morning, Leigh Wynn, the maitre d’ of the most expensive and exclusive breakfast spot in New York, wakes up at [...]
The turf wars for on-demand delivery won’t be won with a fast and dirty business model May 8, 2021 Getir, Dijia, Weezy, Zapp and Fancy. There is a handful of the new on-demand grocery delivery apps that have flooded London’s streets over the last few months. Behind each of them is a fierce turf war for customers, as they try and capitalise on the now ubiquitous presence of food delivery. The surge of grocery [...]