Housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry report growing customer demand post-lockdown July 9, 2020 UK housebuilders Persimmon and Vistry this morning reported a boost in customer demand since reopening sales offices after months at a standstill during the coronavirus lockdown. Persimmon said demand was “positive”, with reservations up 30 per cent year on year. The FTSE 100 firm’s share price jumped more than six per cent following the announcement. [...]
Coronavirus: Tory MP slams local lockdowns as ‘devastating’ October 5, 2020 A prominent Tory backbencher has slammed the government’s introduction of local lockdowns across the UK as “devastating”, claiming they infringe on the public’s freedom and should be swapped for a “risk-based” approach. Tory MP and former Brexit minister Steve Baker told the Conservative party conference today that local lockdowns “aren’t working”, while dwindling hopes for [...]
Shakespeare: Will Hill could be first past the post once lockdown lifts May 27, 2020 Businesses that rely on sports for a large percentage of their revenue have suffered particularly during two months of nationwide lockdown, with no sign of sports returning to pre-lockdown levels anytime soon. Gambling firms have consequently seen customer bases diminish during the last few months, as seen by William Hill, who released a statement reporting [...]
Small businesses worry they won’t bounce back from coronavirus June 15, 2020 Small business owners are concerned they will not be able to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic, even as the economy starts to reopen. A survey commissioned by Visa found that 56 per cent of small business owners are worried about long lasting damage to their firms as coronavirus ravages the economy. These worries are [...]
The Tories that voted for Christmas November 4, 2020 England will enter its second national lockdown at midnight tonight, after MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of new restrictions. The government won the vote by 516 to 38, with a majority of 478 meaning the fresh measures will come into effect at the twelfth stroke of the clock. In a three-hour debate in the House [...]
Hybrid working: Out of office… forever? September 8, 2021 During lockdowns, many started working from home for the first time. Now, 91% don’t want to go back to the office full-time. With hybrid models of work being adopted by many, Christian Koch talks to leading CAs about the chances of a new workplace revolution… This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. What does [...]
Vaccine or no vaccine, Britain must relearn how to live with risk December 4, 2020 The approval this week of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the UK heralds the beginning of the end of this hellish pandemic. People are rejoicing — and rightly so. A vaccine was the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, and with the first doses due to be administered in a matter of days, there [...]
National Rail’s new 26-30 railcard will go on sale nationwide before the end of the year October 26, 2018 Rail companies have come together to produce a railcard for 26 to 30-year-olds, which will be officially rolled out by the end of the year after a successful trial period. More than 4m people in the UK fall into that age group, which will now be eligible to purchase a 26-30 railcard. Just like the 16-25 railcard, [...]
Coronavirus: Trump’s partisan attacks could leave him vulnerable in November April 15, 2020 Looking around the world at responses to COVID-19, generally speaking political partisanship has taken a back seat to a genuine spirit of cooperation that transcends party lines. With the general election behind us and local elections delayed, British politics can focus on the task in hand without being too guided by the immediate reaction from [...]
Shaftesbury swings to £287m first half loss as coronavirus hits property value June 10, 2020 West End landlord Shaftesbury has swung to a £287m first half loss, as the value of its estate plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The company, which has a portfolio of restaurants, pubs, shops, and workspaces in central London, said that the store closures brought about by the nationwide lockdown had affected tenants’ [...]