‘I lament the pairing of trainers with suits’: Cheaney shoes’ Jonathan Church on swapping banking for brogues Opinion Church's shoes Jonathan Church is a veteran of the British footwear business. He tells us why he swapped banking for brogues.
Russian confrontation with peacekeepers ‘would be an extraordinary escalation’ Politics Russian soldiers confronting British troops in Ukraine would be an “extraordinary escalation”, a minister has said as talks continue on a possible Western peacekeeping operation. Wes Streeting suggested on Sunday morning that the prospect of such a confrontation would be sufficient to deter Russia from breaching any ceasefire agreement reached with Ukraine. He told Sky [...]
RSA: More Than sale helps insurance giant to huge profit insurance Insurance giant RSA has surged back into the black after selling the More Than brand as its revenue jumped by more than £350m. The London-headquartered group, which dates back over 300 years, has reported a pre-tax profit of £195m for 2024. The new figure comes after RSA posted a pre-tax loss of £19m in 2023. [...]
Labour’s growth agenda? Necessary but not sufficient. March 11, 2025 Ministers will be deeply frustrated at the lack of economic growth, though they ought not to be surprised. Their own missteps have been well covered in this newspaper, and week after week new survey data reveals the extent to which government policies have dampened spirits, reduced hiring and spooked confidence. However, while their opening salvo [...]
FTSE 100 giant Admiral announces bumper special dividend as profit jumps March 6, 2025 FTSE 100 insurance giant Admiral has reported a significant jump in profit for 2024. Earnings per share nearly doubled to 216.6p, up from 111.2p in the previous year, as pre-tax earnings increased by 90 per cent to £839.2m Turnover rose by 28 per cent to £6.15bn, as insurance revenue grew by 37 per cent to [...]
Sadiq Khan’s plan to ‘turbocharge’ London’s economy is wilfully naive March 3, 2025 Sadiq Khan’s London Growth Plan is an admirable and ambitious vision for the capital, but its bold projections should be taken with a pinch of salt, says James Ford When running for his historic third term last year, Sadiq Khan claimed to be the “most pro-business Mayor ever”. Now he is putting his money where [...]
A dealmaker’s advice to Keir Starmer: Remember Trump’s not a caricature February 27, 2025 Ahead of Keir Starmer's pivotal meeting with President Trump, dealmaker Guy Hands gives his best advice on the art of the deal.
Mythron Cars Healey: Reborn classic sports car is small and mighty February 26, 2025 With its cartoonish ‘Frogeye’ face, Lilliputian dimensions and 43hp engine, the Austin-Healey Sprite wasn’t the obvious starting point for a giant-killing race car. Yet this plucky roadster punched well above its sub-600kg weight, achieving a 1-2-3 finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1959, then a class win for Stirling Moss a year later. [...]
A seismic election won’t deliver the change Germany needs February 24, 2025 Friedrich Merz has emerged victorious in a general election which saw dramatic changes in German politics – but given that his party is responsible for many of the country’s problems, a radical about turn looks unlikely, says Rainer Zitelmann Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) emerged victorious in Germany’s general election, securing 28.6 per [...]
Starmer to set date to increase defence spending during Trump visit – report February 23, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer is expected to confirm a timeline to raise defence spending and give Donald Trump an invitation for a state visit when he visits Washington next week, per a report. The Prime Minister will have to walk a tricky line when he meets President Trump, balancing the UK’s support for Ukraine with the [...]