Shareholder turbulence: EasyJet reigns slip from billionaire founder Stelios September 28, 2021 The founder of EasyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has reportedly lost his power to veto decisions made the board on behalf of the airline after he let his stake dwindle. The billionaire, who launched the budget airline 26 years ago, chose not to buy new shares in a rights issue following a takeover bid by rival Wizz [...]
Irritated business owners on the fuel crisis: ‘Slow handclap for the simpletons’ September 28, 2021 Retailers warned this morning the panic buying of fuel shows no sign of ending, despite ministers urging people not to do so. Many gas stations across the UK continue to run dry, as long queues were again reported outside stations which were open. An estimated 70 to 90 per cent of petrol stations are still [...]
Shares collapse for London-listed firm behind Southeastern train operations September 28, 2021 One of the companies behind Southeastern train operations, which the government took control of this morning, has had its share collapse nearly 25 per cent. Southeastern is operated by Govia, a joint venture between transport operators Go-Ahead (65 per cent) and Keolis (35 per cent). Go-Ahead’s shares plunged 24.98 per cent to 769p per share [...]
Brexit has fuelled gasoline crisis, admits Grant Shapps September 28, 2021 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has back tracked to admit that Brexit “no doubt will have been a factor,” in the ongoing fuel crisis. Despite pushing back last week on accusations that Brexit was to blame for the current shortage of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers, Shapps admitted this morning in comments to the BBC that [...]
Consultancy ads for driverless Tube trains prompt unions to issue strike threat September 28, 2021 A range of adverts for a consultancy contract to explore the introduction of driverless trains on London Underground has prompted a leading rail workers union to raise the threat of industrial action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the move was part of Government-driven spending cuts on the Tube. General secretary Mick Lynch said [...]
Not listening: Fuel panic buying continues despite government appeals to stop September 28, 2021 Many gas stations across the UK continue to run dry, as retailers warned this morning the panic buying of fuel shows no sign of ending. Long queues were again reported outside stations which were open, after the Government announced it was putting the Army on standby in an effort to ensure supplies were maintained. The [...]
Government to take control of all Southeastern rail services September 28, 2021 The Government announced this morning it is taking over all services of train operator Southeastern after a “serious breach” of its franchise agreement. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said an investigation by his department identified evidence that since October 2014 the company has not declared more than £25m of historic taxpayer funding which should have been [...]
Fuel crisis: Military drivers put on standby to deliver petrol as pressure on govt builds September 28, 2021 The government announced this morning that military drivers have been put on standby in preparation to deliver fuel in order to ease the chaos at petrol stations. Army drivers will get specialised training in preparation for their deployment while certain HGV licences will be extended to help tackle the issue, ministers announced on Monday. An [...]
Boris Johnson draws back from deploying soldiers as minister blames motorists for shortages September 27, 2021 Boris Johnson this afternoon drew back from plans to deploy troops to ensure fuel supplies reach forecourts, as ministers have issued a fresh appeal to motorists to stop “panic buying.” Ministers are hoping the pressure will ease as motorists move back to their routine buying patterns, following the surge in demand last week which led [...]
Exclusive: UK electric car market in top speed as sales jump 186 per cent during pandemic September 27, 2021 Electric car sales in the UK have jumped by 186 per cent to 108,000 in 2020, up from just 38,000 in 2019, according to a new study, shared exclusively with Morning Wire this morning. This growth is six times higher than the average sales growth of electric cars globally at 31 per cent in 2020, putting [...]