Can office workers save the day for local businesses ravaged by Covid-19? September 2, 2020 The sudden shift to remote working put in place by the majority of UK businesses may herald the end of the office, at least as we know it. Five months and multiple government campaigns later, and the shift to the kitchen table continues, seemingly unabated. According to a survey from US bank Morgan Stanley, just [...]
Who gets to shape what comes next? After Covid, power in the UK must be decentralised August 28, 2020 We are all coming to terms with the impact of Covid-19 on our prosperity and life chances. We are relearning how we live, how society functions, and what and who we value most. We are learning how Covid has impacted our communities, and with that has come a realisation of injustices that exist in our [...]
SpaceX receives $2bn boost in latest funding round August 18, 2020 Elon Musk’s SpaceX has raised a further $1.9bn (£1.4bn) in funding, a regulatory filing on Tuesday revealed. It raises the equity value of the billionaire’s private rocket company to $46bn, Bloomberg reported ahead of the funding round last week. It is the largest single fundraising round conducted by SpaceX yet, according to PitchBook data. It [...]
JPMorgan appoints former Chancellor Sajid Javid to advisory role August 17, 2020 JPMorgan has hired former Chancellor Sajid Javid as a senior adviser, the bank announced on Monday. Javid will take up a role on the Wall Street giant’s advisory council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It’s a move that sees him resume his career in investment banking. He quit his role at the [...]
In picking Kamala Harris, Joe Biden continues his successful front porch campaign August 17, 2020 To know some history, to comprehend the story of the past, is the invaluable guide in understanding the political present. For example, if I had a pound for every time it has been printed that the upcoming 2020 US presidential campaign is unprecedented, I’d be rich. I confess my first thoughts were also along these [...]
Trump’s national security adviser tests positive for coronavirus July 27, 2020 US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for coronavirus, the White House confirmed today. In a statement, the White House confirmed that there was no risk of exposure to either the President or vice-president Mike Pence. The 54-year-old O’Brien, who is the most senior official in the Trump administration to [...]
Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley warns of closures after business rates review delay July 22, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct, has warned it could be forced to close stores after the government delayed a business rates review. The government has promised a “fundamental review” into the long-term future of business rates. In March it gave retail, hospitality and leisure businesses a year-long holiday from the tax [...]
Trump offers message of support to Ghislaine Maxwell July 22, 2020 President Donald Trump has said that he wished alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell well, noting that he had met her multiple times in the past, but he had little else to say on the case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, speaking at his first coronavirus briefing in weeks yesterday, was asked if he [...]
Johnson says he’s more optimistic than Barnier on post-Brexit trade deal July 3, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is more optimistic than European officials about the prospect of Britain securing a post-Brexit trade agreement, but said the UK could still leave the bloc without a deal if needed. Johnson said he was a bit more optimistic than chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who said this week that [...]
Trump adviser walks back comments saying US-China trade deal is ‘over’ June 23, 2020 White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Monday the US trade deal with China “continues in place”, walking back on his earlier remarks that the pact was ‘over’, stoking volatility in markets already frazzled by the coronavirus pandemic. Navarro said his comments were taken “wildly out of context”, while US President Donald Trump confirmed [...]