Labour hands police ‘long-overdue’ violent shoplifting powers April 29, 2026 The government has handed the police a set of “long overdue” powers to crack down on soaring levels of violent shoplifting, which has been branded a “national scandal”. The crime and policing bill was granted royal assent on Wednesday, meaning assault against retail workers is classed as a specific offence, and the effective immunity for [...]
General counsel ‘evolving from traditional legal gatekeepers’, says KPMG’s legal arm April 29, 2026 General counsel responsibilities are evolving beyond just providing legal oversight as regulations “become more complex and demanding”, according to a new report from the Big four giant KPMG’s Law arm. A whopping 75 per cent of the general counsels surveyed by the firm reported to be “frequently providing advice on issues outside of their legal [...]
Private equity investment fuels major overhaul of Grant Thornton’s associate scheme April 29, 2026 Professional services giant Grant Thornton is launching a “brand new associate programme” for its 2027 cohort of associates, City AM can reveal, as private equity investment from Cinven sets the firm’s ambition for significant growth. The firm voted in favour of an investment from private equity firm Cinven in 2024. Speaking to City AM, Abigail [...]
Special relationship: Americans snub champagne in favour of English fizz April 29, 2026 Americans are flocking to English wine and snubbing champagne, the boss of England’s biggest winemaker has said. Kent-based Chapel Down said consumers across the Atlantic are fuelling record demand for English sparkling wine, as the AIM-listed firm bets big on the US market. Chief executive James Pennefather told City AM: “Americans are really embracing Chapel [...]
Exclusive: London Irish still exploring Prem and URC rugby entries April 29, 2026 London Irish are continuing to explore a return to professional rugby with routes into both Prem Rugby and the URC being assessed, City AM understands. The club filed for administration in 2023 before being purchased last year by the late Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan and the ownership is now looking for a way [...]
The AI bubble has a name – and it’s OpenAI April 29, 2026 For three years, Sam Altman has worn the badge of greatest pitchman in the history of tech. He sold the world a vision of artificial general intelligence – a machine that thinks, reasons and creates – and sold investors the bill to build it. The man raised more capital in a single funding round than [...]
BT shares dip as Ofcom probes EE and Plusnet data April 29, 2026 Shares in telecoms giant BT Group slid on Wednesday after the regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into whether it provided inaccurate or incomplete customer service data through EE and Plusnet. The UK watchdog said it is looking into whether BT complied with legally binding information requests issued in December 2023, under the Communications Act, [...]
Badenoch claims Reeves will be ousted as traders warn on Labour’s turn to left April 29, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has predicted that Rachel Reeves will be sacked as Chancellor after the local elections in May, as top bankers warn of the impact of any left-turn by the government. Badenoch asked Sir Keir Starmer whether he would “reshuffle the Chancellor” after the May elections, with the Prime Minister not directly commenting [...]
Renters’ rights act: what does it mean for landlords, rent hikes, tenants and no-fault evictions? April 29, 2026 The government’s long-awaited renters’ rights act comes into force on Friday, 1 May. Labour says the new law will “level the playing field” between landlords and tenants, but many in the residential rental sector have been alarmed by the scale of the changes and there are concerns that many independent landlords will exit the market [...]
Number of top rate taxpayers surges as frozen thresholds squeeze Brits April 29, 2026 The number of higher and additional rate taxpayers in the UK has soared since the start of the decade as frozen thresholds have dragged nearly two million into paying higher rates of tax despite not being classified as traditional high-paid professionals. According to the latest personal income statistics from HMRC covering the 2023/24 tax year, [...]