Competition watchdog clears Paramount Warner Bros acquisition August 6, 2026 The UK competition watchdog has cleared the merger of Hollywood heavyweights Paramount and Warner Bros after concluding it does not pose an issue to competitiveness in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed it would not investigate the matter further on Wednesday, as it did not “give rise to a realistic prospect of [...]
UK debt ‘hits £3 trillion’ milestone August 6, 2026 The size of the UK’s national debt has now risen above £3 trillion, analysis has suggested, reflecting the burden facing taxpayers across the country. A tracker by a rightwing campaign group and think tank has suggested that national debt had reached the long-awaited milestone after an explosion in spending since 2020. The Taxpayers’ Alliance based [...]
Hiscox finance chief: London’s AI adoption is too slow August 6, 2026 Hiscox group chief financial officer Paul Cooper takes us through his career in insurance in this week's Square Mile and Me.
Row erupts over Tory plan to stop Soho pub goers standing up August 6, 2026 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed a plan backed by a Tory council to stop pub goers in Soho from drinking while standing up. Westminster Council, the now-Conservative-run local authority that covers London’s most popular drinking spots, has set out its ambition to radically limit “vertical drinking” or ordering drinks at the bar under a [...]
‘Hard work ahead’: Diageo shares soar as Drastic Dave’s cost savings lift investor spirits August 6, 2026 Diageo shares jumped as much as eight per cent on Thursday after the London drinks giant vowed to deliver as much as $850m (£631m) in cost savings, as new boss Dave Lewis vowed to turn around the firm’s fortunes. The FTSE 100 owner of Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray reported a three per cent dip [...]
Serco chief hits back at New Statesman’s outsourcing jibes August 6, 2026 Serco’s boss has hit back at media criticism in the New Statesman and other outlets as the under-scrutiny firm boosted its sales and eyed more contract wins. The London-listed firm, which is one of Britain’s largest outsourcing companies running everything from bin collections to asylum accommodation, said it remained committed to bidding for contracts in [...]
Liverpool owners tipped to sell – but not to Amazon boss Bezos – by former CEO August 6, 2026 Liverpool FC’s former CEO Peter Moore believes the club’s owners may be preparing to sell up but has poured cold water on talk of Jeff Bezos buying into the Reds. Fenway Sports Group is in talks to sell a minority stake to former QPR co-owner Amit Bhatia – a process some reports have suggested could [...]
Wizz Air profit wiped out by rising fuel prices August 6, 2026 Soaring jet fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East led to a sharp drop in Wizz Air’s profit. The increased fuel costs and “extreme volatility” from the war in Iran caused the budget airline to swing to a €198.2m net loss, a significant shift from its €38.4m gains the prior year. The [...]
TfL greenlights Wayve’s autonomous vehicles in the City August 6, 2026 Transport for London (TfL) has granted British autonomous driving firm Wayve a licence to operate its cars in the City, a move which will see robotaxis will make their first appearance in the capital later this year. Wayve said on Wednesday that TfL has approved a fleet of autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles to operate [...]
Admiral profit slides as boss eyes push into EV insurance August 6, 2026 Admiral suffered a drop in profit as the insurance giant was weighed down by lower earned premiums in its UK car business. The group’s profit before tax fell by 18 per cent to £429.2m in the first half of the year, while turnover remained flat at £3.11bn. Milena Mondini, group chief executive, told City AM [...]