Finance

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have outlined their bid to own UK-based football club Wrexham AFC.

The pair want to buy the Welsh club from fan owners Wrexham Supporters Trust.

There will be a vote among fans – which kick-starts today – to decide whether the Dead Pool and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actors should take the reins at the football club.

Formed in 1864, the club is the third oldest professional football team in the world and now competes in the National League – the fifth tier of the English Football League system.

The actors outlined their plan on a Zoom call on Sunday and have since released a mission statement on the club’s website about their hopes for the club.

In the statement, the pair announced they were keen to widen the club’s appeal … Read the rest

The Brexit negotiations remained stuck after a call between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen before a decisive week of talks.

The European commission president and the prime minister both highlighted in their post-call statements the contentious issues of EU access to British waters and agreement on future rules to ensure fair competition.

Von der Leyen tweeted that “some progress has been made, but large differences remain” with just over a week remaining before the UK and EU parliaments need to begin ratification of a trade and security deal.

A statement from Downing Street emphasised the need to “redouble efforts” when the two sides, led by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and his British counterpart, David Frost, re-engage on Monday.

A Downing Street spokesman said after Saturday’s call: “The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a … Read the rest

The four-day countdown to the new coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England that began on Thursday triggered a mini boom for store and restaurant owners as consumers rushed to buy Christmas gifts and enjoy a last eat-out supper.

The dash to the shops meant retail parks in England attracted more customers than in the same period last year, with footfall rising above 2019 levels for the first time in the pandemic, according to the retail data experts Springboard. High streets and shopping centres also experienced a surge in shopper numbers, although footfall was still lower than in 2019.

The scale of the four-day spending spree in England was supported by figures that showed a surge of last-minute dinner reservations before the month-long shutdown.

Meal reservations for Sunday night, the day after Boris Johnson announced England was going back into lockdown, were 11% higher than on the same day in 2019, according … Read the rest

The four-day countdown to the new coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England that began on Thursday triggered a mini boom for store and restaurant owners as consumers rushed to buy Christmas gifts and enjoy a last eat-out supper.

The dash to the shops meant retail parks in England attracted more customers than in the same period last year, with footfall rising above 2019 levels for the first time in the pandemic, according to the retail data experts Springboard. High streets and shopping centres also experienced a surge in shopper numbers, although footfall was still lower than in 2019.

The scale of the four-day spending spree in England was supported by figures that showed a surge of last-minute dinner reservations before the month-long shutdown.

Meal reservations for Sunday night, the day after Boris Johnson announced England was going back into lockdown, were 11% higher than on the same day in 2019, according … Read the rest

The governor of the Bank of England has vowed to do “everything we can” to support the economy amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

Andrew Bailey said it was important that policymakers acted “quickly and strongly”, as the Bank announced a further £150bn of support.

Tighter lockdown rules, including new restrictions in England, are expected to lead to a slower, bumpier recovery.

Policymakers also kept interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.1%.

While the economy is expected to avoid another recession, the Bank believes unemployment will rise sharply as government support schemes wind down.

The Bank expects the economy to shrink by 2% in the final three months of 2020, before bouncing back at the start of 2021, assuming current restrictions loosen.

It does not expect the UK economy to get back to its pre-virus size until the following year.

Mr Bailey said: “We are here to … Read the rest