KPMG scraps summer early Friday finish for staff June 5, 2026 Big Four giant KPMG is revoking its Covid-19 employee benefit of letting staff clock off early on Fridays over the summer in the latest cut at the firm. The firm introduced the policy in 2021, focused on the summer, which is a quieter time in the City, to allow staff to take two and a [...]
William Hill owner Evoke shares rocket as it braces for £243m takeover from Bally’s Intralot June 5, 2026 Betting group Evoke shares rocketed in early morning trading, after gambling firm Bally’s Intralot on the terms and conditions for a takeover, as UK businesses brace for an online gambling tax hike. Shares soared 16.2 per cent to 46.4 pence per share, with shares up 24.2 per cent since January. The Greek company’s board has [...]
As it happened: US jobs smash forecasts; Stocks in green amid cloudy US-Iran peace talks June 5, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Speculation around a peace deal between the US and Iran is continuing to leave markets struggling for direction as hopes of an official agreement face roadblocks. A current draft of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US has ambiguities that have to be clarified, an adviser [...]
Billionaire John Caudwell: Britain needs to stop criticising the wealthy and start celebrating success June 5, 2026 Phones4U founder John Caudwell’s new Riviera development features a £250k statue of himself. Billionares should be proud of their success, he tells Felix Armstrong “If I was trying to purely make money, I would have built student accommodation in Manchester and put another 5,000 Chinese people in there,” billionaire and philanthropist John Caudwell says as [...]
The UK chemicals sector is in trouble June 5, 2026 From ammonia to plastics, there can be no modern economy without a functioning chemicals industry, and Britain's is in peril.
Britain has turned its back on liberalism June 5, 2026 Britain is governed by a veto-cracy, a framework in which all progress is stalled thanks to a noisy minority, writes Julia Willemyns.
Place your bets: Will Starmer stay in No 10 longer than England stay in the World Cup? June 4, 2026 He’s faced a difficult few weeks amid mounting scrutiny over his team selection and doubts over his wider strategy after a string of poor performances. If England bow out at this summer’s World Cup, will he survive? No, we’re not talking about team manager, Thomas Tuchel, but the beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It’s been [...]
Why Richard Harpin sold half of homeServe for half a million pounds — and what he’d do differently June 4, 2026 At SCALE SUMMIT on 23 April, HomeServe founder Sir Richard Harpin joined SCALE Chairman Andrew B Morris for a Chairman’s Chat on the decisions, mistakes and principles behind one of Britain’s most remarkable entrepreneurial journeys. Richard Harpin built HomeServe from nothing into a £4.1 billion business sold to Brookfield in 2023. Over 30 years, he [...]
Savvy the Squirrel and ‘simpler regulation’: New City minister reaffirms Labour’s investment push June 4, 2026 The government’s new City minister has doubled down on the government’s commitment to overhaul the UK’s investment culture and encourage more Brits to enter the stock market, including its new squirrel-themed nationwide campaign. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Blake, who took over from Lucy Rigby three weeks ago, noted that “too many people have [...]
National Lottery operator sees ‘inflection point’ despite drop in revenue June 4, 2026 The operator of the National Lottery has revealed lower UK sales and earnings for the start of the year but said it saw an “inflection point” on the horizon its British arm. Allwyn, the European gaming operator who took over the UK National lottery in 2024, booked revenue growth of around a fifth in the [...]