London Heathrow back to its best? 5.4m passengers passed through in January as satisfaction soars February 13, 2023 More than 5.4m people travelled through London’s Heathrow airport this January, marking the busiest start to the year since 2020. Sharp upticks in travelers from Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific region bolstered the London airport’s passenger figures to heights last seen before Covid-19, Heathrow said. The airport also saw customer satisfaction return to [...]
UK agency looks to seize mortgage fraudster’s donation to Chelsea private school February 13, 2023 The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is seeking to seize a £92,500 donation given by a Mayfair property magnate who was convicted of fraud to his daughter’s private school. The fraud investigator is seeking permission from a London court to confiscate the money given to his daughter’s school by mortgage fraudster Achilleas Kallakis. The conman [...]
UK firms cut back on hiring as rising costs hit business optimism February 13, 2023 British firms have begun cutting back on hiring as services businesses suffered a hit from the UK’s cost-of-living crisis, new research from BDO shows. Hiring has fallen to its lowest levels since December 2021, following a sharp drop in business output over the previous year, data from BDO’s business trends report shows. UK business output [...]
Make childcare cheaper to tackle UK’s talent crunch, business lobby says February 12, 2023 The UK government should make childcare more affordable to help ease the country’s labour shortages, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said. In the upcoming Spring Budget, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt should set out plans to help “cash strapped” parents pay for childcare, the business lobby group said. It warned talent shortages are holding [...]
UK law firms hold back on layoffs as legal sector revenues continue to soar February 12, 2023 The UK’s legal sector continued to grow in the final months of 2022 despite a downturn in the wider professional services sector. Legal sector revenues increased six per cent from November to December 2022, to heights of £4bn, figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics show. The uptick came as the UK’s wider services [...]
UK imposes ‘first of their kind’ sanctions on Russian hackers who attacked British firms, schools and hospitals February 9, 2023 The UK government has imposed “first of their kind” sanctions on seven Russian hackers accused of using ransomware attacks to take millions from British firms. The Russian hackers are alleged to have used “cynical cyberattacks” to extort at least £27m from 149 British victims, including schools, hospitals, and private businesses. The cybercriminals will now be [...]
FRC chief Jon Thompson to leave audit watchdog to lead HS2 project February 9, 2023 The head of the UK’s audit watchdog, Jon Thompson, is set to step down to take up a new position as the chair of HS2. Thompson has handed in his notice to leave his job as head of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and will now serve out his six-month notice period, Sky News first [...]
Mercedes Benz makes first UK court appearance as ‘dieselgate’ class-action lawsuit begins February 9, 2023 German carmaker Mercedes Benz today appeared in a UK court over its alleged part in the ‘dieselgate’ scandal. Lawyers acting on behalf Mercedes Benz drivers asked a London court to let them launch a class-action type lawsuit against the German firm over claims it cheated on emissions tests. Class-action specialists Leigh Day and Pogust [...]
Astrazeneca’s shares rise, as cancer drug uptake offsets fall in sales of pharma giant’s Covid-19 vaccine February 9, 2023 Astrazeneca has posted what it claimed were “strong” financial results for the full year 2022 as surging demand for cancer medicines offset a fall in Covid vaccine revenues. Shares in Astrazeneca jumped on the news as the firm said it expects another year of double-digit revenue growth in 2023. The British firm’s strong results came [...]
Pub firm Fuller’s sues insurance giants Aviva and Liberty Mutual in fight over ‘business interruption’ claim February 9, 2023 Fuller’s pubs has filed a lawsuit against insurance giants Aviva and Liberty Mutual in a dispute over a “business interruption” claim. Fuller Smith & Turner confirmed to City A.M. it is suing the two insurers “in relation to a claim under our business interruption insurance” but refused to comment further. Fuller’s filed its claim against Liberty [...]