Good morning. Would you believe the longest day is behind us?
Robert Jenrick is under increasing pressure(£) after Richard Desmond contradicted his version of events surrounding the Westferry Printworks planning debacle.
For those struggling to keep up with the Westferry developments, The Times (£) has this handy refresher…
Meanwhile, landlords are bracing themselves to receive as little as 10% of rents owed(£) as “watershed Wednesday”(£) approaches.
Ministers are being urged to build 100,000 homes a year(£) for frontline workers.
And Boris Johnson is expected today to sign off plans(£) to scrap the two-metre(£) rule in favour of a “one-metre-plus” rule. Because the hospitality industry asked for clarity.
Rishi Sunak is preparing to lower VAT in the next few weeks, but he is also planning to hike taxes and cut spending in a planned Autumn budget.
Primark has privately raised concerns(£) that a VAT cut could increase the spread of the virus, based on experiences in Germany.
As well as a VAT cut, Britain should meanwhile invest in “shovel-ready” infrastructure schemes(£), which could be handled by local government, says former chancellor Alistair Darling.
More than four fifths of executives think business rates should be replaced(£) by an online sales tax. One assumes the remaining fifth hae something to do with the internet…
Huawei is expecting a row as it waits for planning permission on its £400m “Silicon Fen” R&D facility(£).
And CIMC Developments, a Chinese conglomerate that builds hotels for Hilton and Travelodge, has disappeared overnight(£).
But Travelodge has secured landlords’ backing for its CVA, after promising to hand over a share of profits.
The City has said ‘yes’ to Angelo Gordon’s and Endurance Land’s London Wall development.
Christian Candy is putting his Holland Park resi site back on the market
Retail REITs took another hit on the stock market at the end of last week, as the government extended the controversial moratorium on evictions.
JD Sports is preparing a pre pack for GO Outdoors(£). Apparently the business was hurt by the message to “stay Indoors”.
Two businesses linked to London Capital & Financial(£) has been put into administration.
The number of black people in management positions has barely changed in eight years, as businesses fail to make promotions(£).
Canadian mall owner Brookfield is suing tenants for unpaid rents, while skipping its mortgage payments(£).
The High Court has said that photography factory Holborn Studios will not be torn down(£) by Galliard Homes after an eight year battle.
The Times (£) is clearly so tickled by Lancer’s claims about the expensive tastes of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi that it has run the story again!
Luxury hotels in Delhi(£) are being converted into Covid care centres.
And finally, Boris Johnson’s aide, Sir Eddie Lister, is in line for a peerage(£) later this year. You may remember Sir Eddie as BoJo’s deputy on planning matters when the PM was merely the mayor of London. It was there that Lister controversially allowed the first (less greedy) version of Richard Desmond’s Westferry Printworks development through planning, despite howls of complaint from the local authority and the planning inspectorate. And now he’s to be decked with ermine. No such luck for poor Robert Jenrick. There’s a rumour of a reshuffle in September(£), with the smart money on Bobby heading back to the backnbenches. But then, as more revelations emerge(£) about him not really getting this “having to be impartial” thing, perhaps it isn’t such a bad move?
