Tory MPs urge Prime Minister not to ‘backslide’ as he hesitates over lockdown exit date February 11, 2021 Senior Tory MPs have urged Boris Johnson not to “backslide” on commitments to provide an exit strategy from lockdown measures on 22 February, after the Prime Minister hesitated on a firm date for reopening schools. The PM has repeatedly stated he will provide a “roadmap” on 22 February outlining the government’s plans for exiting England’s [...]
Hotel quarantine: What do the new rules mean for arrivals travelling to London? February 11, 2021 Hotel quarantine: What do the new rules mean for arrivals travelling to the UK border?
St Patrick’s Day celebrations in London move online February 11, 2021 London mayor Sadiq Khan said today a virtual St Patrick’s Day celebration will be held on 17 March, which will showcase London-based Irish talent. The celebration will be hosted by London Irish Centre ambassador Angela Scanlon. “The sight of Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds uniting in our capital for St Patrick’s day is a [...]
Ex-Labour MP Chuka Umunna hired by JPMorgan in new ESG role February 10, 2021 Chuka Umunna has been hired by JPMorgan to head up its environmental, social and governance (ESG) work in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The newly created role will pull together all the existing client-facing ESG efforts across the banking business in the region. The appointment was announced within the bank in a memo seen by [...]
Senate votes to go ahead with Trump impeachment trial February 10, 2021 A majority of the U.S. Senate voted to hold a full impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump when they backed Democrats’ argument that the proceeding is allowed under the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s lawyers argued that as a former president, the Senate has no legal standing for holding a trial on the House of Representatives’ impeachment charge [...]
Before the Bell: Bitcoin goes through the roof as positive investor sentiment persists February 9, 2021 Bitcoin was driven to fresh record highs overnight – it traded above $47,000 – on the news that Tesla bought $1.5bn worth of the cryptocurrency. In the same announcement, the electric vehicle manufacturer revealed that it intends to accept the digital currency as a method of payment too. “One of the criticisms of Bitcoin is [...]
No hotel quarantine contracts have been signed with just one week to go until launch February 8, 2021 The government has not signed a single contract with any hotel firms despite its mandatory hotel quarantine policy set to come into effect in just one week’s time. All arrivals to the UK from around 30 “red list” countries will be required by law to quarantine for 10 nights at a government-selected hotel from 15 [...]
Government to invest £40m in helping businesses reduce carbon footprint February 6, 2021 The government is set to invest £40m in helping polluting industries reduce their carbon footprint as the Prime Minister attempts to cozy up to US President Joe Biden’s new green agenda. Businesses in Britain’s energy-intensive sectors, including pharmaceuticals, steel, paper and food and drink, will be able to apply for their share of the cash [...]
British banks set to hand out hundreds of millions in staff bonuses February 6, 2021 Britain’s largest banks are finalising plans to hand out hundreds of millions of pounds in staff bonuses next week, at the same time loan losses are expected to catapult during the pandemic. Taxpayer-backed lender Natwest Group has informed the Treasury that it is poised to distribute more than £200m in staff bonuses for 2020. The [...]
Barclays CEO on the future of the City: ‘Forget Frankfurt and Paris’ February 5, 2021 Jes Staley, the CEO of Barclays, has said the UK financial services industry should focus on competing with the US and Asia, rather than the EU. Staley reportedly said that although jobs that would have been created in the Square Mile may have been moved to the EU, Brexit has given one of the UK’s [...]