5G rollout across Britain set to create 5,000 jobs October 5, 2020 Telecoms firms have pledged to create 5,000 new UK jobs through the rollout of 5G technology across Britain, marking a rare bright spot on the bleak jobs horizon during the pandemic. Liberty Global, which owns Virgin Media, and O2’s Spanish owner Telefonica, have announced plans to create 4,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeship roles in the [...]
Tui to refund all customers by the end of the month September 16, 2020 Travel giant Tui UK will refund all package holidays cancelled due to the coronavirus by the end of the month, the UK’s competition watchdog announced this morning. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had launched an investigation into the firm after receiving thousands of complaints from customers who had not been refunded. Under consumer protection [...]
FCA puts UK banks on notice on overdrafts but will not open formal inquiry July 1, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will not open a formal inquiry into overdraft charges by UK banks, but said there would be a full evaluation of lenders’ pricing next year. In January, the financial watchdog gave banks just two weeks to explain changes to their overdraft rates which would leave around eight million consumers worse [...]
Boris Johnson to ‘build, build, build’ UK back from coronavirus slump June 30, 2020 Boris Johnson will today pledge £5bn in fast-tracked infrastructure investment as he promises to “build, build, build” the UK’s economy out of the coronavirus crisis. Drawing inspiration from US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “new deal” after the great depression of the 1930s, the Prime Minister will seek to create jobs and drive investment through a [...]
UK coronavirus death toll rises by 377 to 37,837 May 28, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 377 to 37,837, according to figures released today by the Department of Health. As of 9am this morning, 119,587 tests were carried out or dispatched with 1,887 positive results. However, the number of people tested was unavailable again, according to the Department of Health. Overall nearly 4m [...]
Mobile provider Three taps Cityfibre for 5G rollout February 18, 2020 Mobile operator Three today announced that it has chosen challenger broadband firm Cityfibre to help build its 5G network. The deal means Cityfibre will be Three’s preferred provider of digital infrastructure for its network outside London. The first phase of the agreement will connect the mobile company’s 5G network in 23 cities where the broadband [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest rate for 18 months in February February 28, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest rate since July 2018 in February, according to Nationwide figures released today. February’s annual rise of 2.3 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent in January, was UK house prices’ strongest rate of growth in 18 months. That left the average UK house price at £216,092, up from [...]
UK house prices: What will happen to property values in 2021? January 16, 2021 The UK residential property market boomed in 2020, with house prices ending the year at a record high, despite the shutdown of the sector during the first coronavirus lockdown. Government measures such as the stamp duty holiday helped revitalise the market, while the lifting of lockdown restrictions prompted a surge in demand. Lockdown also inspired [...]
We need to strap a rocket to the government’s FinTech thinking March 12, 2021 In his final article of the week, Lord Chris Holmes details the urgent need for a centre within government that could lead on FinTech.
Lockdown blues: Breakups and divorces support UK house prices July 21, 2020 The property market is currently defying gravity, with asking prices hitting an all-time high in July and spirits buoyant after the chancellor slashed the stamp duty homes tax. But estate agents say a less-publicised factor has been helping the property sector ride out economic turbulence better than most had predicted: A surge in lockdown breakups [...]