Why Rachel Reeves’ low-key Spring Statement still matters February 26, 2026 This is the Spring Statement that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has long been waiting for in opposition: a moment of sheer insignificance. In May 2023, six months after the mini-budget debacle, Reeves offered a speech in opposition to Washington DC’s top independent think tank, the Peterson Institute, exalting her core economics philosophy of ‘securonomics’. She summarised [...]
It’s a sad story from brewery to pub February 26, 2026 It was a balmy 17 degrees in the Square Mile yesterday, drawing crowds out for a lunchtime pint in the sun. But in other parts of the country the hospitality sector is still in the grip of winter. Bad news came thick and fast from my native Cornwall yesterday, starting with confirmation that Sharp’s Brewery [...]
Emirates boss on Arsenal stadium, leaving F1 and NBA Europe February 26, 2026 Matt Hardy talks sponsorship and strategy with the executive vice president of corporate communications, marketing and brand at global airline Emirates. At the end of the Premier League season 11 teams will be forced to change their front-of-shirt sponsor and, for some sides, the brand on their strip is synonymous with a particular era of [...]
Buy more small caps, says Panmure Liberum. But which ones? February 26, 2026 Now is the time to get back into British small caps, according to the boffins at Panmure Liberum. Headline valuations, on a P/E ratio basis, don’t seem much different in the small caps compared to their big-cap counterparts. But Panmure says that when you adjust for differences in sector composition, you get an average discount [...]
Service sector profits continue long decline February 26, 2026 Profitability in the UK’s service sector declined for the seventeenth consecutive rolling quarter, according to new data, with businesses reporting few signs of improvement on the horizon. The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) latest survey on the service sector showed that rising costs put businesses’ bottom line under pressure. A weighted balance of -28 per [...]
Gucci sparks backlash with AI-generated ads ahead of fashion week February 25, 2026 Gucci has come under fire after using AI to create images promoting its upcoming show at Milan fashion week, raising concerns that the luxury house is cutting corners ahead of a runway debut. The Italian brand posted a series of glossy visuals on social media this week, some labelled ‘created with AI’, to tease creative [...]
Sheffield Wednesday: New buyers sought after £40m takeover collapses February 25, 2026 Sheffield Wednesday fans have called for a new buyer to be found urgently after the consortium behind a proposed £40m takeover of the fallen English football giants pulled out. A group led by James Bord, a co-owner of Scottish club Dunfermline, was named preferred bidder in December but announced today that they were withdrawing their [...]
IForex shares lift after trading platform makes London Stock Exchange debut February 25, 2026 Shares in iForex popped after the firm became the latest fintech to debut on the London Stock Exchange. The stock rose as much as 6.4 per cent to 207.5p by the end of its inaugural trading session on Wednesday. It had floated on London’s main market at an offer price of 195p, implying a market [...]
Tory MP accuses Starmer of ‘blatant lie’ over energy bills claim February 25, 2026 A Tory backbencher has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer for a “blatant lie” after he praised a drop in the energy price cap set by Ofgem. Katie Lam, who has weighed in on issues ranging from growth to immigration, said energy bills under Labour had spiked since it took to power in mid-2024. She [...]
Women in their forties drove January pension contribution surge February 25, 2026 Women paid more into their pensions than men in January 2026, with females in their 40s driving the surge. According to retirement firm Pensionbee, female customers contributed 104 per cent of the amount men contributed, despite only accounting for 42 per cent of total customers, and marked just the second time in the firm’s history, [...]