EDF submits planning application for Sizewell C nuclear power station May 27, 2020 EDF has this morning submitted an application to build the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast to the Planning Inspectorate. The plant, which the French firm is developing in partnership with China’s state-owned nuclear company CGN, will be a near replica of Hinkley Point C in Somerset. Upon completion, the power [...]
Chris Packham to challenge HS2 decision on climate change grounds March 3, 2020 Renowned broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham has launched a legal challenge against Boris Johnson’s decision to green light the controversial HS2 rail project on climate grounds. According to Packham, the climate impact of HS2 is “incompatible” with the UK’s net zero target, and will damage or destroy almost 700 wildlife sites, including over 100 ancient [...]
Congratulations Brussels for capturing EU states’ financial sovereignty October 26, 2020 The European Union achieved spectacular market success this month when it launched its new “Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency” bond programme (SURE). The €100bn programme will be used by the EU to support member nations addressing pandemic job security and social welfare weakness over the next year. The first €17bn bond issue [...]
Business bodies slam government’s TfL bailout conditions as a ‘mockery’ October 21, 2020 London business bodies have slammed the government’s demands for a potential bailout for Transport for London (TfL) as a “mockery”, accusing ministers of “railroading” policy through while the transport network is on its knees during the pandemic. Ministers last night threatened to take direct control of TfL unless London mayor Sadiq Khan accepts a raft [...]
Coronavirus: Government goes to war with City Hall over London Tube restrictions March 24, 2020 The government and City Hall are at war over Transport for London’s decision to restrict the Tube’s services, which has forced remaining commuters to cram into available carriages. Last week, TfL shut 40 stations and reduced the usual weekday service with some lines only running a train every 10 minutes. The Waterloo & City shuttle [...]
Has the black swan left us with white elephants? April 23, 2020 The coronavirus crept up on us, in some ways. It began with a single illness in China in mid-November 2019, a 55-year-old in Hubei province, some records suggest, and it wasn’t until January this year that it became clear that there was an epidemic of this new respiratory disease in the city of Wuhan. In [...]
Shares of HS2 contractors Balfour Beatty, Kier, Costain surge on green light February 11, 2020 Shares in British construction giants rose today after Prime Minister Boris Johnson opted to press ahead with the controversial HS2 rail project. The PM had been under pressure from some in his party to scrap the project after its estimated cost rose to £106bn. But today he gave the infrastructure scheme the green light, telling [...]
State could be landed with £8bn rail pension deficit March 29, 2020 Taxpayers could be on the hook for £8bn of railway pensions after the government effectively nationalised a portion of the rail system after coronavirus hit demand. The Telegraph reported that the massive government intervention could shift the pension deficit of franchises from the private sector to the public sector. The Department for Transport (DfT) last [...]
Will Europe’s smaller companies deliver big returns? January 7, 2021 European equities have been largely unloved by investors for some time, having lagged their global peers over the past decade: the MSCI Europe ex UK Index has grown by circa 6% pa whilst the MSCI World Index is up circa 11% pa. European smaller companies have fared markedly better than their large cap counterparts however, [...]
Bellway shares slump after warning on growth October 15, 2019 Shares in house builder Bellway slumped more than five per cent this morning as it warned of a slowdown in house price growth and climbing building costs. Profit increased at the FTSE 250 firm but Bellway said it expected to deliver more moderate growth in the coming year. Read more: Bellway posts strong spring sales [...]