BT overhauls dividend policy as it vows ‘enhanced distributions’ for shareholders May 21, 2026 BT has refreshed its dividend policy as the telco giant vowed to deliver “enhanced distributions” for shareholders. The FTSE 100 member declared a final dividend of 5.87p, increasing its full-year dividend by 2 per cent to 8.32p. BT said its new policy would be to “grow the dividend by low to mid single digit percent [...]
Enhanced Games isn’t sport but a product placement exercise May 21, 2026 The Killers are an odd choice of band to wrap this weekend’s Enhanced Games. I’ve no idea about lead singer Brandon Flowers’ attitude to the permissibility of performance enhancing drugs in sport, but the name of his beat combo jars with an enterprise testing scientific and medical boundaries. It won’t be spinach that the 50 [...]
As it happened: Stocks jittery as Iran war drags on; Reeves unveil cost-of-living package May 21, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump has warned Iran there are two options that could see the US finishing the war in Iran, with one that will “see a few people killed as opposed to a lot”. He added: “We could do it either way.” It’s the latest threat from the White [...]
Next faces shareholder pressure over worker pay May 21, 2026 Shareholders in Next are set to put pressure on the retail giant to take action on its “reliance” on low-paid labour. At Next’s annual general meeting on Thursday, a group of investors will call on the retailer to take further action on worker pay and adopt the “real living wage” for all employees. But the [...]
Weather or not to stock – AI aims to shelter UK business from the classic (wet) British summer May 21, 2026 A chilly spring, a sluggish UK economy and hard-pressed household budgets at a time of rising interest rates have combined to put a national talking point – the weather – into the spotlight in the City. Seasonal trends, or the lack of them, can make or break trading at retailers and hospitality companies. Disruption from [...]
Rising hiring costs push British businesses to the brink May 21, 2026 UK businesses are on the brink due to the government’s highly contentious employment rights agenda and cost hikes, following the first provisions of the Employment Rights Act, which came into force in April. According to new research from Employment Hero, an AI-powered employment platform, more than half of UK businesses feel employing staff has “become more [...]
Lawyers say fee hikes punishes profession for regulator blunders May 21, 2026 The legal watchdog plans to raise its funding by increasing lawyer fees to address past shortfalls, but the legal profession is frustrated, arguing they are being forced to pay for the regulator’s own failures and legacy issues, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. Lawyers are not chuffed at the regulator’s plan to increase its fees in the upcoming [...]
Peckham could do with some Del Boy graft May 21, 2026 Peckham’s most famous son, Del Boy, once observed that “He who dares, wins” – adding “He who hesitates, don’t.” It’s a motto on which Southwark Council would do well to reflect, considering there are more than 22,000 people on the borough’s social housing waiting list. Southwark’s Liberal Democrats point out it will take the council [...]
SCC UK boss: I’ve returned to London after 10 years. Locals forget how good they have it May 21, 2026 Russell Brown, CEO at IT giant SCC UK, tells us about returning to London after a decade away, and navigating a career in tech.
Who is accountable when AI gets it wrong? May 21, 2026 AI operates across systems at a pace no human oversight function can match. So who's accountable when it goes wrong, asks Paul Loftus.