The Debate: Should we scrap the ‘table tax’? April 8, 2026 Pavement licenses mean restaurants have to pay to put tables and chairs outside. Is that fair or is it a tax on enterprise?
‘I fired the board that fired me’: TGI Fridays boss on restaurant turnaround April 8, 2026 TGI Fridays had its heyday in the 1980s but slumped into administration last year. Its new boss Ray Blanchette tells Felix Armstrong the nostalgic chain can win back Britain after a period in turmoil. “I land at Heathrow and jump in a cab. The plane got in late,” says Ray Blanchette, recalling the day he [...]
Londonmaxxing could save the capital’s jobs market April 8, 2026 Can Londonmaxxing help revive the capital's flailing job market? Employment expert Kevin Fitzgerald thinks so.
Bank of England: Interest rate hike predictions cool as trader sentiment resets April 8, 2026 Fears of several interest rate hikes being made have eased as traders raved at the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Markets are now pricing in just one interest rate hike as the two-year gilt yield dropped to 4.1 per cent. The current interest rate is set at 3.75 per cent by the [...]
‘Make the process look less scary’: UK banking licence applications hit zero in 2025 April 8, 2026 The number of applicants for UK banking licences plummeted to zero in 2025, raising questions over the government and regulators’ capacity to foster competition and attract overseas investment. The fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – show a steep fall from the 11 licence bids [...]
National insurance and business rate hikes double fault for Queen’s Club profits April 8, 2026 Business rate hikes and increases to employer national insurance have seen profits at Queen’s Club slump by nearly 20 per cent. Hosts of the HSBC Championships – dubbed the precursor to Wimbledon – saw profits before tax fall by 17.2 per cent to £1.96m, down from £2.37m the previous year, on increased revenues of £15.5m. [...]
British firm Stellanor snaps up data centre amid scramble for AI capacity April 8, 2026 Stellanor Datacenters has expanded its UK footprint with the acquisition of a specialist facility from Imagination Technologies, as demand for AI infrastructure continues to surge. The deal, structured as a ‘sale-and-service-back’ agreement, will see Imagination remain in the Hemel Hempstead site as a customer, while Stellanor takes ownership and integrates the facility into its growing [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown users report issues as investors rush to markets April 8, 2026 The UK’s largest DIY investment platform saw users report issues in early morning trading, as investors were left in a state of fury and struggled to manage their portfolios after news of a ceasefire between the US and Iran sent stocks soaring. Users reported a spike in problems with the site upon the London Stock [...]
Rolls-Royce shares boom amid hopes of trade resumption April 8, 2026 Shares in the retail stock darling Rolls-Royce skyrocketed as investors went back to bullish ways on news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. The stock price for the engineering giant soared by as much as 10 per cent as trading opened. It meant the stock hit 1,259.80p. The jump in the share price will [...]
Shell and BP plummet after Trump declares ceasefire with Iran April 8, 2026 FTSE 100 oil stocks plunged in early morning trading as Brent prices fell after US President Donald Trump declared a two week ceasefire with Iran. Oil giant Shell suffered a 7.1 per cent slump, trading at 3,311.4 pence, bringing its rally over the course of the Iran war to a screeching halt. Rival BP recorded [...]