Apr 18, 2024
Hunt says Thames Water must ‘sort out’ its own issues
Chancellor says UK government will never insure investors against poor decisions
Apr 18, 2024
Concerned sub-postmaster was dismissed as 'bluffer' by Post Office lawyer
Rodric Williams, who still works for the company, was a Post Office litigation lawyer as the scandal developed.
Apr 18, 2024
Two senior women leave BP in first big shake-up since Looney’s exit
Departures reduce the number of women on leadership team at oil major
Apr 18, 2024
Victim calls for lawyer removal from Horizon scheme
A Post Office scandal victim has called for a top lawyer to be removed from administering Horizon redress schemes. Mr Williams was a litigation lawyer at the Post Office while it was prosecuting sub-postmasters. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Castleton said the process of getting compensation was "Still very adversarial because the people in the process of giving redress are people who have been involved in probably the last 10 or 15 years of... Post Office problems". Mr Williams replied on an email...
Apr 18, 2024
Thames Water lenders face losses of up to 40% in event of nationalisation
Government contingency plans could see bulk of debt taken on by state with utility split in two
Apr 17, 2024
Adidas on front foot after exiting Kanye West deal
Adidas has emerged from its bruising tie-in with rapper Kanye West and says it expects to make profits of €700m in 2024.In February the German sportswear giant said it planned to sell its remaining Yeezy trainers from its partnership with West for at least cost price. Tuesday's upbeat comments from Adidas come a month after the company posted its first losses in 30 years. The company said its quarterly operating profit had reached €336m, up from €60m a year earlier when it was hit by the...
Apr 17, 2024
Workers take on car giant Volkswagen in fight for pay
BBC. Yolanda Peoples has worked on prior union drives that failed during her 13 years at Volkswagen. Yolanda Peoples has tried for more than a decade to convince her co-workers at Volkswagen's factory in the southern state of Tennessee that joining the United Autoworkers Union would pay off in increased job security, higher wages and a more comfortable retirement. The election, which involves roughly 4,300 workers and starts on 17 April, is the first to emerge from a campaign UAW leaders...
Apr 17, 2024
Post Office scandal is unbelievable and I am sorry, says ex-boss
Jon Longman was involved in the case of former sub-postmistress Seema Misra, who was wrongly convicted and jailed.
Apr 17, 2024
Royal Mail owner rejects £4.5bn takeover bid from Czech billionaire Křetínský
Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský preparing bid for Royal Mail ownerFinancial TimesBad GatewayBlaize-502 Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer. Reason: Blaize received the request but the origin did not respond.
Apr 17, 2024
Post Office boss cleared of misconduct claims
The boss of the Post Office Nick Read has been cleared of misconduct allegations after an investigation on behalf of the organisation. The Post Office said Mr Read has "The full and united backing of the board" to continue in his role following the investigation by an external barrister. Mr Staunton told MPs looking into compensation payments for sub-postmasters over the Post Office Horizon scandal that Mr Read was at the centre of an investigation, consisting of allegations made by the Post...
Apr 17, 2024
Post Office chief executive ‘exonerated’ of misconduct after review
External report was prompted by allegations about Nick Read’s behaviour
Apr 17, 2024
A Royal Mail bid will only deliver controversy
Stock reflects the burden that an obligation to deliver letters six days a week has become
Apr 17, 2024
Post Office scandal unbelievable says ex-chairman
At the time of Mr Leighton's employment there, between 2002 and 2009, the Post Office was a subsidiary of Royal Mail.He told an inquiry into that the scandal "Has been a terrible thing for everybody who has been involved in it, particularly the sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses". Separately, former Post Office investigator Jon Longman said he should have tried harder to get data requested on behalf of Ms Misra, who was eight weeks pregnant when she was sentenced to 15 months in prison....
Apr 16, 2024
Not reading report was missed chance to stop Post Office scandal - ex-boss
David Miller, a former programme director of Horizon, accepts he should not have called the IT system "robust" in 1999.
Apr 16, 2024
Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by incident
Birmingham Airport has temporarily suspended all flights after there was believed to have been a security incident on a plane. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We are currently at Birmingham Airport following a report of a suspicious item found on a flight destined for Belfast."The plane was diverted shortly after take-off and landed back at Birmingham airport just after 16:00.". Several flights at the airport have been delayed by more than two hours, according to departure...
Apr 16, 2024
Apple update addresses Jerusalem emoji controversy
Apple has released a partial update to its iPhone software which stops the Palestinian flag emoji being suggested when users type the word "Jerusalem". Apple previously told the BBC the flag's appearance when Jerusalem was typed had been inadvertent. Critics such as TV presenter Rachel Riley had demanded Apple explain why the flag appeared, particularly when other cities do not produce flag emojis when typed. In the new update no emoji is suggested when a user types "Jerusalem", in line with...
Apr 13, 2024
Why did all the Little Chefs disappear?
Phil Coomes/BBC. With 439 restaurants on major routes across the UK, Little Chef once enjoyed a near monopoly on roadside dining. Lawrence took his love for Little Chef into adulthood, growing up to become a successful entrepreneur who ended up buying the restaurant chain. Little Chefs across the country were identifiable by their bright colours both inside and out. "There were closures, the prices were hiked, you know the guests did start to call it Little Thief rather than Little Chef",...
Apr 13, 2024
Bates looking at Post Office private prosecutions
Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates says he will consider raising funds for private prosecutions of Post Office bosses over the Horizon IT scandal. In comments first made to the Times, he said he would consider crowdfunding for private prosecutions against former Post Office bosses - similar to the mechanism used by the organisation against sub-postmasters it accused of stealing. On Friday, the inquiry heard from former Post Office managing director Alan Cook, who was in charge of the...
Apr 12, 2024
The great stink of Thames Water
The vast debt load on Thames along with higher interest rates, higher inflation, poor management and fines for breaching licence conditions appear to be pushing the company to the brink. These principles must be applied to deal with the past sins of Thames Water. In recent years, private water companies have asked to invest more than the regulator allows. Private water companies need to accept losses for risks they knowingly took. Get Thames Water right and the case for private ownership of...
Apr 12, 2024
I wasn’t aware Royal Mail was involved in prosecutions, says Crozier
The inquiry is looking into how and why more than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted on the basis of a faulty IT system.
Apr 12, 2024
Ex-Post Office boss presumed police prosecuted Horizon victims
Former Post Office managing director Alan Cook has said he didn't realise the organisation itself was prosecuting victims of the Horizon IT scandal. Mr Cook was in charge of the Post Office between 2006 and 2010.He told the inquiry he did not know that prosecutions were being brought solely by the Post Office until 2009.He said when he was told cases "Went to court" he presumed that the police had been involved, and only found out later that roughly two thirds of cases against Horizon victims...
Apr 12, 2024
The challenges facing Tesco veteran Jason Tarry at John Lewis
Former colleagues say incoming chair’s retail experience will help him lead the brand
Apr 12, 2024
Investors’ Chronicle: Ultimate Products, Tesco, THG
Companies analysis from our sister publication
Apr 12, 2024
Thames Water shareholders backed away over regulator’s debt demands
Investors calculated that it would take £8bn of fresh equity to comply with Ofwat conditions
Apr 11, 2024
Post Office board was focused on restructure, not prosecutions - ex-boss
Horizon IT inquiry is hearing from former Post Office boss David Smith, followed by former chair Sir Michael Hodgkinson.
Apr 11, 2024
Paralympians urge Nike to allow single shoe sales
BBC. Nike uses amputee mannequins to promote its products. An ex-Paralympian has criticised Nike for using amputee mannequins to promote its products when it doesn't sell single trainers. Stef Reid, a single-leg amputee, said she was only able to buy the company's running shoes in pairs. Nike thanked her for raising the issue and said it was "Exploring opportunities". After spotting a pair of Nike trainers in one of the brand's own stores Stef says she was told she had to buy both shoes.
Apr 11, 2024
Exxon chief earns four times as much as bosses at Shell and BP
The $40mn pay packet for Darren Woods comes amid debate in London about transatlantic valuation gap
Apr 10, 2024
Tesco says price pressures easing as profits soar
Tesco has said price pressures on grocers have eased as it reported bumper sales and profits for the past year. The UK's biggest supermarket chain said pre-tax profits hit £2.3bn, up from £882m, while sales rose by 4.4% to £68.2bn.The company said price inflation in groceries had "Lessened substantially". Tesco forced to change Clubcard logo after Lidl row. Falls in chocolate and jam prices slow food inflation. Abrdn hits out at media 'bullying' over name change.
Apr 10, 2024
Tesco forecasts rising profits as inflation ‘lessens substantially’
UK grocer reports higher earnings and announces £1bn share buyback
Apr 10, 2024
Post Office cases 'greatest criminal justice scandal', inquiry told
The Tory peer was an MP for one of the accused and is a member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.