By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 17:14 EST, 17 December 2024 Among the more bizarre aspects of the deal carved out by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky with the Government and Royal Mail is the use of a ‘golden share’. Such shares protect strategic assets from foreign marauders. Among …
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By ALEX BRUMMER Updated: 04:48 EST, 14 December 2024 Bank of England watchers are convinced the Monetary Policy Committee will sit on its hands next week when it sets interest rates for the last time this year. If, as governor Andrew Bailey says, the Bank is data-driven, it has little …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 17:01 EST, 9 December 2024 The National Security & Investment Act is intended to protect British commerce from unwanted intrusion by overseas predators. There can be few more obvious cases for it to be invoked than that of the £3.6billion bid by …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 17:00 EST, 2 December 2024 The current generation of British politicians are on a steep learning curve. There can be no excuse for indifference when the fate of a critical national asset is on the line. Minority investors increasingly are concerned that …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 17:03 EST, 28 November 2024 Jonathan Reynolds ought to be careful what he wishes for. His House of Commons description of Royal Mail predator Daniel Kretinsky as a legitimate business person is hostage to fortune. We have discovered since this Labour government …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 22:00, 27 November 2024 The turnaround at Aviva under the stewardship of chief executive Amanda Blanc has been extraordinary. Superfluous overseas businesses have been sold, cash returned to shareholders and Blanc has built up a war chest for investment. The decision to …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 02:25 EST, 22 November 2024 A perennial complaint, often heard, is the lack of towering figures and the contested battles which once dominated the City. The likes of Mrs Thatcher’s favourites Lord Hanson and Lord King of BA and the politically savvy …
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Management gets extra points too for announcing the ploy just as many households begin to think about writing this year’s batch of Christmas cards. According to a recent analysis by The Telegraph, a first-class stamp is now so expensive that it would be cheaper to fly to some European cities …
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By ALEX BRUMMER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 17:00 EST, 11 November 2024 The significance of Britain’s trade with the US cannot be underestimated. A long sought after free-trade deal is elusive despite the best efforts of former Business Secretary, now Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch. The debate in Britain foolishly …
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By Alex Brummer for the Daily Mail Updated: 17:00 EDT, 23 September 2024 Until quite recently, there was an unhelpful habit of UK company boards rapidly buckling when faced with overseas and private equity takeovers. There would be dire warnings from fee-hungry investment banks that failure to accept seemingly generous …
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