Flybe may be grounded

Monday 13th January 2020

Get straight to the good stuff every day with the Multiply Minute; a lightning-quick round-up of the money news and how it affects you.

To Flybe or not to be

After being saved from administration a year ago, the airline is in trouble again with survival talks taking place on Sunday to save it amid mounting financial losses. Accountancy firm EY has been put on standby to handle any potential administration and the government has been briefed on the potential cost of 2,000 UK jobs if the airline goes under. Flybe currently handles over half of Britain's domestic flights outside of London.

Royal trademark worth £500k?

As the Queen meets with her grandson for “crisis talks” over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ plans to retreat from royal life, experts have estimated their brand could be worth half a million in the first year alone. Harry and Meghan filed the application last month to trademark “Sussex Royal”-branded clothing, stationery, and emotional support groups.

London bucks the trend

The capital’s economy grew faster than the rest of the country at the tail end of 2019, when the private sector gained fresh confidence from the Tory election win. The gap between London and the rest of the UK is likely to take centre stage this year. In his March Budget, Chancellor Sajid Javid is expected to focus public investment on the northern and Midlands voters who broke with tradition to hand the Conservatives a majority.

Green growth

A think tank has suggested green projects should be used as a key weapon in the government's battle against recession. The New Economics Foundation suggests pumping as much as £50 billion into the green economy to make Britain more resilient against any future recession. It suggests the economy could be rebooted with energy projects such as electric cars and retrofitting homes with new insulation.