The North East of England could become the latest region to have a directly elected mayor, as the Government announced a new £1.4 billion devolution deal for the region. Hailed as a “significant step” by local politicians, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said a new devolution deal would bring fresh powers over skills, transport and […]
Ministers have been accused of making a “pitiful attempt” to recoup taxpayers’ money wasted on fraudulent Covid contracts, after it emerged that only a fraction of the estimated total had been recovered so far. About £18m has been retrieved by the Department of Health and Social Care through checks on personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts […]
Rail passengers have been told to avoid some services for two weeks and that trains will be “significantly disrupted” across most of the country into the new year. The warning from Network Rail came as some services juddered back to life on Tuesday after the Christmas shutdown and several days of strikes by RMT union […]
The return to the office after the pandemic lockdowns gathered pace in 2022 as hybrid working took hold at British businesses and employees headed to desks in suburban locations, according to figures from the workspace provider IWG. The average number of visits to IWG’s more than 300 UK workspaces climbed by 54% from January to […]
Households will be urged to take only 30 seconds out of their day to reduce their energy use as a UK government TV advertising campaign designed to cut bills finally launches. The advert, part of an £18m campaign originally blocked by Liz Truss, will air during festive schedules from 8.30am on Tuesday on terrestrial and […]
They have been marketed as the ideal Christmas present to beat the transport strikes and high fuel prices but from today riders of electric scooters will be banned from carrying them on two of the country’s big train operators. TransPennine Express, which operates in the north of England, and Avanti West Coast, which runs services […]
Fuel retailers have been threatened with state intervention over prices by the business secretary, who urged companies “to take any steps necessary” to ensure affordable prices for drivers. In a letter to retailers on Thursday, Grant Shapps said the government “will not hesitate to act to ensure competition is healthy and consumers get a fair […]
The UK government has signed a 10-year deal with Moderna to produce upwards of 250m vaccines a year in the event of a pandemic. The investment will give NHS patients access to UK-made mRNA vaccines while a new innovation and technology centre will be created, with 150 highly skilled jobs. In a major boost for […]
Flexible office spaces in central London have seen their occupancy rates recover to pre-pandemic levels, new data shows. A majority of the world’s top 30 flexible workspace providers have seen now seen occupancy rates in their central London offices surpass levels of 60 per cent, a survey by Knight Frank shows. A further 88 per […]
The shopworkers union Usdaw has been given the green light by the supreme court to challenge Tesco’s controversial tactic of firing staff then rehiring them on less favourable contracts. The union was granted permission to proceed with a case after the appeal court overturned a high court ruling that banned Tesco from dismissing staff at […]