Beer’s back

Pint sales soar

Pubs and restaurants saw their sales rebound in April, after many opened for outside service from the 12th. With good weather and eager punters on their side, pubs bounced back to 80% of pre-pandemic sales. Restaurants lagged slightly behind at 70%.

End coal cash?

The government wants a global agreement to stop funding coal projects as part of the Glasgow COP climate summit in November. Britain gets just 2% of its electricity from coal, down from 40% in 2020. But our banks are still financing coal projects in other countries like China where it’s widely used.

Fish for finance

It’s too late to strike a finance deal that would give the City access to European markets, according to a Cityof London Corporation official. UK financial firms have been shut out of the EU since 31st December when the Brexit transition deal ended. French ministers say they’ll block any deal unless their fishermen get more access to British fishing waters.