Companies Distance Themselves from Embattled Andrew EDWARD THICKNESSE in February.” So-Called Business Angels
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BUSINESS WITH PERSONALITY POCH-EXITTINO GOING COLD TURKEY WE TOTTENHAM REVIEW THE CHRISTMAS BOSS ON THE SARNIE OFFERINGS P22 WAY OUT P28 WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE 3,504 CITYAM.COM FREE Lloyd’s takes campaign to City boozers SEBASTIAN MCCARTHY @SebMcCarthy LLOYD’S of London is targeting the insurance industry’s bustling pubs and cafes as part of a company campaign to tackle harassment and misconduct. The historic insurance marketplace will put up banners and posters around EC3 following a swathe of misconduct allegations that have rocked its reputation. The brightly coloured spread will invite people to call out “unacceptable behaviour”, following a survey in September which found that almost 500 people in the market suffered or observed sexual harassment over the last year. JOHNSONBORE AND CORBYN MEET DRAW IN LACKLUSTRE DEBATE AS Lloyd’s chief executive John Neal, who described the results of the poll as “stark SNAP POLL REVEALS NEITHER LANDED KNOCKOUT BLOW and totally unacceptable”, has promised a crackdown on the CATHERINE NEILAN Johnson claimed was an “invention”. would borrow “would push up interest refusing to answer which side he would sector’s notoriously boozy @CatNeilan The Prime Minister was strongest on rates for everyone in the country”. take,” he added. culture in a bid to improve Brexit, repeatedly asking Corbyn Corbyn was most comfortable on the A YouGov snap poll after the debate company behaviour. THE LEADERS’ first TV debate ended whether he would back Leave or Remain NHS as he continued to argue that the revealed that the country remained The effort to target City without an obvious victor last night, as a in a second referendum — a question the Tories would accelerate privatisation as divided. Fifty-one per cent of pubs with posters comes as snap poll showed viewers were divided Labour leader failed to answer part of a trade deal with the US. respondents chose Johnson as the victor part of a new campaign called on who’d had the better of the evening. throughout. Johnson said if he couldn’t “There are no circumstances whatever of the night’s battle, while 49 per cent #SpeakUp. The two men clashed over Brexit and answer that question nor rule out in which this government or any said Corbyn did the best job, once those Neal said: “At Lloyd’s we domestic issues in a low-wattage another Scottish referendum, Corbyn Conservative government would put the responding “don’t know” were excluded. expect all market participants confrontation as both failed to produce wasn’t “fit to run the country”. NHS on the table in any trade The polling suggested that while to act with integrity, be campaign-turning moments. The Conservative leader also landed a negotiation,” Johnson retorted. Johnson was comfortably ahead of respectful and always speak Corbyn’s high point was the production few punches on the economy. When “Our NHS will never be for sale and I Corbyn on Brexit and on the question of up. I hope this campaign of a heavily redacted document that he asked about spending, Johnson quipped am amazed how often this comes up. who looked more “prime ministerial”, encourages more people to do alleged showed the government had that his rival had found “a magic money The only reason it does is because Mr the Labour leader performed better in so... The ambition here is to secret meetings about opening up the forest”. Corbyn is trying to conceal the void at the section on the health service. The make a positive difference in health service to the US — which He claimed the rate at which Labour the heart of his Brexit policy and is Tories maintain a significant poll lead. many people’s lives.” Duke of Hazard: More companies distance themselves from embattled Andrew EDWARD THICKNESSE in February.” so-called business angels. Astrazeneca, another sponsor of the initiative’s website. @edthicknesse Advertising Week Europe — a A number of companies have the programme, said: “Our three- Pitch@Palace is a privately run global summit of marketing and distanced themselves from the year partnership with firm which files accounts with STANDARD Chartered yesterday communications leaders — and programme in the face of Pitch@Palace is due to expire at Companies House. Directors listed became the latest company to cut tech firm Gravity Road are also increasing scrutiny over the Duke the end of this year and is include the Duke’s private ties with Prince Andrew’s said to have ended their of York’s friendship with convicted currently being reviewed.” secretary Amanda Thirsk. Pitch@Palace scheme, after KPMG association with the initiative. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Insurance firm Aon denied any Other organisations such as jumped ship on Monday. The mentoring and accelerator KPMG is said to have ended connection with the scheme, London Metropolitan and A spokesman for the banking programme brings entrepreneurs its £100,000-a-year sponsorship saying that the listing of the firm Huddersfield universities are giant said: “We won’t be renewing and startup bosses together with of Pitch@Palace over fears of as a partner was an error, and that reviewing the Duke’s position as the sponsorship when it ends venture capital investors and negative publicity. it had asked to be removed from patron of their organisations. FTSE 100▲ 7,323.80+16.10 FTSE 250▲ 20,528.48 +87.98 DOW▼ 27,934.02 -102.20 NASDAQ▲ 8,570.66 +20.72 £/$▼ 1.293 -0.003 £/€▼ 1.167 -0.003 €/$▼ 1.107 -0.001 02 NEWS WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2019 CITYAM.COM IRAN UNREST Around 100 feared dead amid violent clashes in Iran as protesters fight back against government’s oil price hike THE CITY VIEW McDonnell wields his corporate cattle prod HILE Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson slogged it out on TV last night, the City was still digesting the latest Wsoftly-spoken assault by Labour’s shadow chancellor. John McDonnell doesn’t fly into fits of outrage, not even when attacking the “obscene wealth” of billionaires. He appeared to unveil plans for the biggest revolution in company law almost with a tone of regret. But let’s judge him on what he says, not how he says it — for nobody should be lulled into thinking that McDonnell is anything other than a dangerous firebrand. When he says he wants to “take people with us” one is left with the feeling that this would involve cattle prods and forced marches. It’s worth remembering that he has listed his interests as “fermenting the overthrow of capitalism”. There is no reason at all to assume he was joking. So how would he go AMNESTY International yesterday said that more than 100 protesters had been killed in 21 cities in Iran during unrest that broke about it? McDonnell believes that corporate Britain needs to out over a rise in fuel prices last week. Snipers have shot into crowds of protesters from rooftops and, in one case, from a become democratised. For example, he wants to subject all helicopter, the charity said. The protests began on Friday after fuel price rises of at least 50 per cent were announced. executive remuneration packages to a binding vote by shareholders, employees and consumers. Maybe self-checkout tills at Tesco will contain a new option on the screen to vote for or against the executive’s pay. Perhaps not fully trusting that Hammerson shoppers will make the right choice on executive remuneration, Christmas cheer Labour would bring in an “excessive pay levy” starting at 2.5 per cent on salaries north of £300,000 and rising to 7.5 per cent on sells retail park packages over £1m. McDonnell also wants to have the power to delist companies from the London Stock Exchange if they fail to adequately address climate change. Farewell to BP and Shell? He for UK shoppers in £54m deal is, so far, vague on the criteria and even vaguer on what this JESS CLARK would mean for shareholders, pension funds and the future @jclarkjourno reputation of London’s internationally respected capital JESS CLARK than capitalise on specific promo- markets infrastructure. Little wonder that one asset manager @jclarkjourno tional days, while 37 per cent of HAMMERSON yesterday continued yesterday described McDonnell’s proposals as “moronic”. consumers said they prefer to shop on its property disposal programme THE CHRISTMAS trading period could Cyber Monday. with the £54m sale of a Gloucester Another seasoned investment banker lamented that “Labour deliver some much-needed festive The findings could boost high street retail park to a local authority. just don’t seem to understand the public market.” On the same cheer for the UK high street after a morale in the run up to the crucial Following the sale of St Oswald’s day that McDonnell unveiled his “rewriting the rulebook” challenging 12 months, as new re- Christmas trading period, in a year Retail Park to an anonymous document, the Institute of Directors (which has worked on search revealed shoppers plan to that has already seen major retailers council, Hammerson has reached spend more this year. close almost 6,000 stores so far. £577m worth of disposals in 2019, improving corporate governance in the UK for over 100 years) Most UK shoppers (87 per cent) are Well-known high street brands such including the sale of a major stake released its own manifesto for restoring trust in business. Its planning to spend the same or more as Debenhams, Bonmarche and Karen in its Italie Deux flagship director of policy, Edwin Morgan, says the UK’s approach is than last year, while 57 per cent said Millen have been forced into adminis- destination in Paris for £423m.