Rebuilding trust after an affair

Boris Johnson has pledged he will run a ‘one nation’ and ‘people’s government’ in his first speech since being re-elected as prime minister. ANALYSIS: The day before the election, I piled off the Tube packed full of seas of Christmas jerseys and the sour stench of work party hangovers and wove my way home through carollers and campaign leafletters. My electorate in southwest London had emerged as a key battleground where Labour was predicted to take power from the Tories by a whisker.  Putney proved to be Labour's only gain this election as the party was dealt a humiliating drubbing.  This week Britons headed to the polls and handed Boris Johnson a clear mandate to deliver Brexit.  READ MORE:Conservatives tipped to win comfortable majority as voters head to the pollsHow the vote will affect BrexitConservatives under fire for 'misleading voters' in Twitter switch during debate Jeremy Corbyn will step aside after his party … [Read more...] about UK Election 2019: Lies, obfuscation and extramarital affairs: How Boris followed in his hero Winston Churchill’s footsteps

I have stepped into a children’s colouring book: happy brown chickens are running free, spotted piglets are grunting, and fluffy sheep and photogenic British Blue cattle are feasting on the herb-rich marshland meadows running down to the sea. Richard Stephens, winner of the 2014 Award for Best Local Farmer, manages Monkshill Farm for the Royal School for Deaf Children Margate as a working farm with an educational centre . Part of the John Townsend Trust, the school has owned the 65-acre farm since 1995 (it rents another 200 acres). Stephens, a passionate and gifted stockman, has been here for 11 years. He was a contract shearer grazing sheep nearby before accepting the position at Monkshill, named from the monks of Canterbury who once farmed the land to provide food for the cathedral kitchens. As we tour the farm, past the pretty pig sheds, the large flock of Christmas geese, and the room where children help sort the free-range eggs, its walls covered in kids’ paintings of … [Read more...] about OFM awards 2014 best local farmer: Richard Stephens at Monkshill Farm, Kent

Can you trust the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to resolve your dispute with a bank or insurer? A whistleblower has told Guardian Money that a “disastrous” management reorganisation has left the service in disarray, with the public waiting as long as two years to get justice. The whistleblower, a senior staff member at the FOS who wishes to remain anonymous, alleges that:• Consumers sending complex complaints to FOS can wait 10 months before a file is even picked up and examined.• The waiting time for pension disputes is seven months.• Wronged consumers can wait up to two years until their claims are finally adjudicated.• The number of unresolved general claims (non-PPI) that remain unresolved a year after being received now stands at 15,551.• Managers expected case handlers to resolve 4.5 complaints a week, but the real figure is 1.7. The FOS has disputed the whistleblower’s claims and says 80% of cases are resolved within six … [Read more...] about Whistleblower reveals financial ombudsman service in disarray

The chairman of Tesco has stuck his head above the parapet for the first time defending the supermarket's "poor" performance and promising not to flinch from the tough action required to turn around the ailing UK chain. At a bad tempered shareholder meeting Tesco's army of small investors turned out to accuse the management of "arrogance" and having lost shoppers' trust. They also pointed to the supermarket giant's deteriorating financial performance as reflected in its slumping share price. But Sir Richard Broadbent pleaded for patience. "We know the share price performance has been poor. But it is important that we do not flinch from the decisions needed to shape a competitive business for the future." The retailer's shares were worth £4 when Philip Clarke took the helm in 2011 but closed at 283.75p, a near six-year low. "You and we want to see better performance," continued Broadbent. "We believe the steps we are taking will deliver better performance in a sustainable fashion … [Read more...] about Tesco chairman pledges to turn around ailing supermarket group

Living in a five-bedroom house and running a successful business, Chris Lee and his family had a good life. But after suffering with multiple health issues, as well as some financial problems in the following years, Chris suddenly found himself homeless . In October 2016, he left his home in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham - before bailiffs could come knocking at his door. Chris and his partner, and her daughter, five, ended up sleeping in their car on and off for four months, until a friend offered them a shed to sleep in, reports the Birmingham Mail . Now, as they continue to work at rebuilding their lives, they have set up a project called Just the Ticket in a bid to help other people who might be going through something similar. At the age of 55, Chris had a stroke, and was later diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the following years, his successful property company folded and he was forced to sell all his worldly possessions. Chris, now 64, said: "We had the big house, the car, … [Read more...] about ‘I went from having a 5-bed home and a business to spending Christmas in a shed’