CMA to probe S&P Global’s £33bn takeover of IHS August 23, 2021 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has just announced the launch of an inquiry into S&P Global’s £33bn takeover of IHS Markit Ltd. The CMA gave notice today that it plans to investigate the anticipated merger between credit ratings giant S&P Global and IHS Markit. The deadline for its decision on whether the merger is [...]
PMI: Post-Covid bounce-back slows in August as pingdemic struck August 23, 2021 The UK economy’s post-lockdown boom stalled this month as firms continued to struggle with staff shortages, as a result of the so-called ‘pingdemic’, but strong inflation pressures eased slightly. The IHS Markit/CIPS flash composite PMI dropped for the third consecutive month, sinking to 55.3 from 59.2 in July – its lowest since February- according to the latest [...]
National Covid-19 antibody surveillance programme launched by government August 22, 2021 A nation-wide antibody surveillance programme for the public has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency to collect data to build the government’s understanding of immunity against Covid-19. The government today announced that free home antibody tests kits will be offered to adults in the UK who test positive for the virus from Tuesday. [...]
Jamie Oliver Group revenues fell 20 per cent last year amid lockdown August 21, 2021 Turnover at the Jamie Oliver Group fell by 19.7 per cent to £30m as the company felt the force of the pandemic and lockdowns, according to reports. Pre-tax profits for the group, made up of Jamie Oliver Holdings and Jamie Oliver Licensing, fell by 41.2 per cent to £4.9m according to The Times. The Holdings [...]
Tobacco staff banned from global smoking research conference for ‘unprofessional’ behaviour August 21, 2021 The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco have banned tobacco industry employees from attending its annual conference, following complaints about the “problematic behaviour” of tabacco staff. The decision to ban tobacco company employees from the conference came after a two-year long review by the international body, according to a report in The Times. It [...]
Extinction Rebellion protests cost over £50m August 21, 2021 The cost of policing Extinction Rebellion protests are over £50m, and is expected to rise with more demonstrations planned over the next few weeks, according to reports. The Metropolitan Police’s gold commander for the demonstrations, Rachel Williams, said the figure included the response to two protests in 2019 and one in September last year, when [...]
Treasury refuses to bankroll Michael Gove’s single government login proposal August 21, 2021 Michael Gove’s plan to give every adult a single login for online interactions with the government, could be stalled by a funding dispute with the Treasury, according to reports. The Cabinet Office’s proposed plan, dubbed “one login for Government”, would result in people logging into a single online interface to conduct a host of activities [...]
Less rush hour traffic means major commuter train services could be cut next year August 21, 2021 Train operator Govia Thameslink are considering reducing services on major commuter lines into London, in anticipation of the end of “big spikes in rush-hour commuting”, according to reports. The train company operates the Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern lines which hundreds of thousands of people commuting into London and other cities use every day. The [...]
Worst performing investment funds worth £30bn are revealed in report August 20, 2021 An online investment service, Bestinvest, has published it’s latest “Spot the Dog” report naming and shaming 77 investment funds which have consistently underperformed the markets they invest in. Although 77 investment funds across a range of equity markets worldwide were identified in the latest report, which is published twice a year, it marks a sharp [...]
Law firm Irwin Mitchell reaches ‘landmark’ £1bn assets under management August 20, 2021 Irwin Mitchell’s wealth management team has reached £1bn of assets under management (AUM) this week, the company has announced today. The firm, which also recently announced an 11th year of consecutive growth, launched its wealth management division in 2000 and focussed on providing financial planning and investment management to personal injury clients in receipt of [...]