Aviva’s £3.7bn takeover of Direct Line approved by UK watchdog July 1, 2025 Aviva’s acquisition of smaller insurance peer Direct Line has been approved by the competitions watchdog, paving the way for the formation of Britain’s biggest home and motor insurer. The £3.7bn takeover will not be subject to a phase-two investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday, after a preliminary probe to assess whether [...]
Major workers’ rights changes delayed in bid to win over business July 1, 2025 Controversial plans to hand new employees a glut of additional rights from day one and make flexible working the default will not be implemented until 2027, the government has said, after a deluge of warnings from industry that the measures would stifle firms’ ability to hire and invest. As part of the long-awaited roadmap for [...]
M&S to be fully operational by August after heavy cyber attack, boss says July 1, 2025 Marks and Spencer boss Stuart Machin has said he expects the worst of the retailer’s cyber attack to be over within the next four weeks. M&S has been struggling with the attack since April, with some systems still offline – including click and collect services. The retailer’s share price climbed slightly in response, up 0.62 [...]
Premier League kicks off AI era with five-year Microsoft deal July 1, 2025 The Premier League has inked a five-year deal with Microsoft to overhaul how fans engage with the game. But the tie-up also tightens Big Tech’s grip on British sport, reigniting scrutiny over data use and monetisation. Under the agreement, Microsoft will become the League’s official cloud and AI partner, with its Copilot technology powering a [...]
How to solve the UK’s non-dom conundrum July 1, 2025 After industry experts poured cold water on Reform’s ‘Britannia Card’, and amid rumours the Chancellor is examining options to row back on elements of her non-dom reforms, Ali Lyon asks what policies might be on the table – and whether they will work. As Nigel Farage stepped up to a mundane-looking podium in a stuffy [...]
Berkeley, Persimmon and Barratt hit by house price slowdown July 1, 2025 Weak growth in UK house prices has hit the shares of the UK leading listed homebuilders, with pundits concerned that a demand for private housing will prevent the government from reaching its ambitious housing goals. Berkeley’s share price has dropped by more than eight per cent in the past month and Persimmon is down four [...]
Hey Siri: Can ChatGPT save Apple’s AI woes? July 1, 2025 After years of insisting it could do AI its own way, Apple is now reconsidering that approach – and the implications could reshape its core product experience. The iPhone maker is in talks with Anthropic and OpenAI about powering a revamped Siri, reported Bloomberg, potentially swapping out its own foundation models for one of their [...]
London City Lionesses score Nike kit deal following promotion to WSL July 1, 2025 London City Lionesses have secured a high-profile kit deal with Nike following their promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL) for the first time. The trailblazing club – owned by American Michele Kang – are the only side in the WSL to be fully independent, with no ties to a men’s professional team in the [...]
Macquarie to inject £1.2bn into struggling Southern Water July 1, 2025 Macquarie is to invest £1.2bn into the struggling utility Southern Water in a move that could prevent a possible breach of its regulatory license. The new equity investment plan will enable Southern, which supplies water to 2.6m customers in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to fund its Ofwat-approved investment programme for the [...]
Political Currency podcast maker Persephonica triples in value July 1, 2025 Persephonica, the podcast producer behind shows such as Political Currency with George Osborne and Ed Balls, more than tripled in value during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The business, which was founded by former BBC producer Dino Soros, saw its net assets surge from £25,516 to £78,995 in the year to 30 [...]