Motor finance backlash mounts with calls to pull £4bn from lenders November 3, 2025 The financial watchdog is back in the hot seat as criticism of its controversial motor finance redress scheme continues to mount. A fresh report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Banking has blasted the City watchdog for a “£4.4bn billion gap” in the proposed scheme. The group accused the regulator of being “influenced [...]
Burnley owner ALK Capital secures £150m injection following Espanyol takeover November 3, 2025 Burnley’s owner, Alan Pace’s ALK Capital, has attracted a further £150m injection from an early backer of its Premier League project, Dave Checketts. Checketts, who enjoyed success with Pace as president of his Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake, has invested in ALK Capital following its takeover of Spanish club Espanyol. It is among [...]
Starmer urged to back journalism as AI erodes trust in UK media November 3, 2025 Britain’s media leaders have urged the Prime Minister to take decisive action to protect trusted journalism from a rising tide of misinformation, warning that the future of the country’s news ecosystem is at risk. In a letter to Keir Starmer, senior figures from the BBC, Sky, ITN, and the News Media Association (NMA), which represents [...]
Brits plump for premium hotels as budget stays suffer November 3, 2025 The gap between hotel prices has continued to expand as Brits plump for premium travel over budget options, according to new figures. Average room rates of UK luxury hotels rose from £380.30 to £405.18 in August year on year, and from £136.33 to £141.57 for mid market hotels, data from RSM shows. Room rates in [...]
Premier League exec steps down to lead Major League Soccer challenger competition November 3, 2025 The Premier League is set to lose one of its top staff, chief football officer Tony Scholes, at the end of the season after he agreed to head up a challenger to Major League Soccer in the US. Scholes is to be president of a new top-tier competition to be launched in 2028 by the [...]
Minimum wage hike puts pressure on professional starting salaries November 3, 2025 With Rachel Reeves poised to raise the minimum wage in her Autumn Budget, mid-tier professional services firms are bracing for significant impacts across the sector. As reported last week, the Budget will likely see employers forced to raise workers’ wages from £12.21 to at least £12.70 an hour. However, for businesses, especially those in the [...]
Nigel Farage walks back on tax cut pledges after predicting ‘economic collapse’ November 3, 2025 Nigel Farage has abandoned several major tax cut pledges as the Reform leader predicted an “economic collapse” would trigger a general election as soon as 2027. Farage distanced himself from the party’s previous promise to introduce tax cuts worth £90bn, including by raising the tax-free personal allowance to £20,000, blaming the u-turn on ballooning government [...]
Labour to spend £10m on tackling EV charging blackspots November 3, 2025 The government has unveiled a £10m fund to help expand England’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network, targeting grid-constrained sites on motorways and major A-roads where power access has slowed progress. The funding will support projects that allow chargers to run off-grid or with minimal grid connection, using renewable energy and battery storage to deliver ultra-rapid [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says high tax UK economy is ‘doomed’ November 3, 2025 Michael O’Leary has said that the UK economy is “doomed to continue to fail” until the tax burden starts to come down. Asked on Sky News about what advice he would offer ahead of the Budget, the Ryanair chief said Rachel Reeves should reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD) and reverse “crazy” planned hikes to the [...]
Rachel Reeves’ banking reforms ‘unlikely to be transformative’ November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ financial services growth mission faces a major blow with top City voices warning her regulatory reforms won’t be transformative. The Chancellor unveiled her Leeds Reform package intended to “rewire the financial services industry” in July this year. Whilst the moves were cheered by industry bigwigs, analysts have raised concerns the changes will fail [...]