How the NHS backlog fuelled a private equity gold rush in UK health market September 8, 2026 Private equity firms are circling the UK’s healthcare market as NHS backlogs push a wave of patients towards private providers, experts have said. Britain’s biggest private hospital operator, Spire Healthcare, which operates 38 private hospitals, on Sunday agreed to a £1bn takeover by Toscafund Asset Management. Earlier this year, private healthcare property firm Assura agreed [...]
Healey wants to focus on the future but business is haunted by past mistakes September 8, 2026 John Healey has a reassuring voice. If he revealed dry rot in your house or rang to tell you of suspicious activity on your account, you’d feel oddly calm about it. He’s not a gifted public speaker, but there is an ease and a glimmer of warmth that stands in stark contrast to the earnest [...]
UK at risk of £290bn finance industry ‘being governed overseas’ September 8, 2026 The UK is at risk of its booming financial services industry being governed overseas after lagging behind international rivals in digital asset innovation, a new report has warned. Banking industry body UK Finance has issued a rallying call to policymakers to move at pace in developing the infrastructure to power tokenisation, or see the country [...]
Labour takes narrow lead over Reform as donation row wounds Farage September 8, 2026 Labour has taken a narrow polling lead over Reform UK for the first time in a year and a half as voters warmed to Andy Burnham in September. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll has shown that Labour now enjoys 26 per cent of the voter share, ahead of Reform UK, which is on 25 [...]
Champions League: Is the rise of the superclubs becoming a problem? September 8, 2026 Eight clubs in this year’s Champions League have a massive financial advantage over the rest but, with TV and commercial revenue increasing, should Uefa be worried? The Champions League kicks off in earnest this evening with a low-key fixture between AEK Athens and Austrian side LASK, the kind that, for most neutrals, could only be [...]
The City may not be woke, but is it waking up to wellness? September 8, 2026 Photis Kassianides worked on equity trading floors before setting up a divorce coaching service. He writes about the destagmitisation of wellness.
The UK can still lead in tokenisation – but only if we move fast enough September 8, 2026 Tokenisation will reshape market infrastructure whatever we do – the question is whether the UK wants to shape it or adapt to decisions made elsewhere.
Spending hits 13-month high as Brits splurge on entertainment, Barclays says September 8, 2026 Spending in the UK economy reached a 13-month high in August after a rebound in the entertainment and travel industries, according to fresh data from Barclays. Overall card spending grew 2.1 per cent year-on-year, following on from two per cent growth in July. Both essential and non-essential spending were up 2.1 per cent, according to [...]
Unleash growth or you’ll have to hike taxes even higher, FTSE 100 boss warns Healey September 8, 2026 The government must unleash growth in the forthcoming Budget or ministers will be forced to hike taxes even higher at future fiscal events, the boss of the largest player in the UK pensions market has warned. Andy Briggs, the chief executive of Standard Life, told City AM the UK’s ageing population leaves the Chancellor John [...]
Retail sales slow as heatwave boost cools September 8, 2026 The heatwave boost fuelling summer sales cooled last month, as Brits cut back on retail spending to deal with rising bills. Retail sales grew by 0.7 per cent in the year to August, marking a significant slowdown compared to 3.1 per cent growth in August 2025, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). August’s rate [...]