Public debt: Who has lent a staggering £2.1 trillion to Rishi Sunak? April 23, 2021 Government debt has hit its highest point as a portion of gross domestic product since the early 1960s when the country was still paying off what it had borrowed to fund the fight against Nazi Germany, new figures showed this morning. Last year spending skyrocketed to pay for dozens of programmes to prop up the [...]
Exclusive: London mayor candidate faces calls to pull out for hosting antisemitic video April 23, 2021 Independent mayor of London candidate Brian Rose is facing calls to pull out of the race over a video on his website that contains a slew of antisemitic conspiracy theories by conspiracy theorist David Icke. The video in question, from 2019, features Icke telling Rose in detail about how 9/11 was a plot hatched by [...]
Extinction Rebellion activists block headquarters of Lloyd’s of London in the City April 23, 2021 Climate activists are protesting outside the office of Lloyd’s of London in the City this morning, dumping fake coal outside in front of the building as part of a campaign against insuring fossil fuel mining activities. Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group are holding up banners with slogans such as “Climate Criminals” after they dumped [...]
UK will stay financial services leader without EU equivalence deal, says KPMG boss April 23, 2021 If the UK and EU fail to agree an equivalence deal it will not be the end of the world, according to KPMG’s head of FS Karim Haji, who was feeling upbeat about the future of financial services in the UK. Haji, who was made KPMG’s head of FS in June 2019, acknowledged an equivalence [...]
Freedom Friday: How lockdown is being eased across the UK from today April 23, 2021 People can finally get a hair cut in Northern Ireland from today, while those in Wales are looking forward to more freedom this weekend as coronavirus restrictions are eased. Travel between Scotland, England and Wales will be be permitted from Monday and tourist accommodation can welcome back visitors. Here is an overview of the state [...]
‘Bitter’ Dominic Cummings accused of leaking Boris Johnson’s text messages to James Dyson and Mohammed bin Salman April 23, 2021 Boris Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has been blamed for the leaking of the Prime Minister’s text messages. An internal inquiry has been launched into how messages between the Prime Minister and billionaire Sir James Dyson were leaked to journalists. But reports said Downing Street sources are pointing the finger at Cummings, who quit as [...]
Canada’s new “Justice Quarter” gets the go-ahead April 22, 2021 | City Talk New civic development will provide Crown, Magistrates, County and Civil Courts and a new Canada Police HQ, built to tackle national fraud and economic crime. Designed to last at least 125 years, the development will drive recovery and growth in the Square Mile and beyond, ensuring that the City retains its global position [...]
Sadiq Khan and Shaun Bailey row over ‘ludicrous’ £4.68bn tax bombshell claims April 22, 2021 Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and Sadiq Khan have today clashed over claims that the incumbent London mayor would raise taxes by £4.68bn over the next three years if re-elected. Bailey said today that Khan’s plans would mean households would have to pay £1,339 more in tax, however this figure comes mostly from a proposed [...]
HSBC hires former Wells Fargo lead as its new head of global banking April 22, 2021 HSBC has hired the former executive vice president of Wells Fargo as its new head of global banking in Europe based in the capital. Stepping into the role on 15 July, Lisa McGeough joins HSBC from the California-based bank after 15 years, most recently serving as both executive vice president and head of international. McGeough [...]
HSBC open to climate talks but cannot ‘condone vandalism’ April 22, 2021 Following a climate protest which saw windows smashed at its City headquarters, HSBC has said that it welcomed discussion on climate change but that it could not ‘condone vandalism’. “We welcome meaningful dialogue on our climate strategy; however, we cannot condone vandalism or actions that put people and property at risk,” a spokesman said. “We [...]