Pubs to stay open until 1am if Home Nations reach Fifa World Cup knockouts December 4, 2025 Pubs will stay open until 1am if England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland reach the final stages of the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that “the party won’t end before the final whistle is blown”, adding that “if any [home] nation reaches the final stages, we will extend licensing hours”. The [...]
AJ Bell: Revenue jumps as customer numbers surge December 4, 2025 Investment platform giant AJ Bell has reported a record financial performance after the group attracted thousands of new customers. Group revenue rose by 18 per cent over its financial year to the end of September to £317.8m, up from £269.4m the 12 months before. Profit before tax increased by 22 per cent to £137.8m, up [...]
Profit rockets at Lord Alan Sugar’s property empire December 4, 2025 Profit at Lord Alan Sugar’s property empire has rocketed after the sale of two investments despite a “difficult” London market. Amshold has reported a pre-tax profit of £14.1m for the 12 months to 30 June, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The new total comes after the firm turned a pre-tax profit of [...]
Equity fund outflows hit fresh record as Budget uncertainty triggered UK selloff December 4, 2025 Equity funds have suffered their deepest and most prolonged bout of outflows on record with investors pulling more than £10bn in the past six months, fresh figures have revealed. UK-focused funds were the hardest-hit in November after haemorrhaging almost £847m, according to data compiled by global funds network Calastone, with analysts pointing to protracted Budget [...]
Exclusive: LIV Golf creator 54 acquires Polo In The Park operator Sportgate December 4, 2025 54, the global agency behind the creation of LIV Golf, has set its sights on elevating another sport steeped in tradition after acquiring Chesterton Polo In The Park organiser Sportgate International. The deal, set to be announced today at the Hurlingham Club in London, will see 54 add its advisory, planning and operations expertise to [...]
Chelsea star and Alpine F1 owner invest in ‘Strava for motorsport’ Track Titan December 4, 2025 Chelsea footballer Trevoh Chalobah, a co-owner of the Alpine F1 team and the CEO of running brand On have invested in Track Titan, an AI tool billed as a “Strava for motorsport”. They have joined a $5m funding round co-led by the funds Partech and Game Changers Ventures, run by Alpine investor Roger Ehrenberg, and [...]
UK workers could reclaim half their day thanks to AI, report finds December 4, 2025 UK office workers could reclaim nearly half of a standard eight-hour workday thanks to AI, according to new data from Salesforce. The findings, based on a commissioned study from IDC, suggest AI tools are not just automating repetitive tasks, but are starting to reshape how humans actually work. On average, UK employees estimate that AI [...]
The best sport to watch live and solving your Christmas present dilemma December 4, 2025 “What’s the best sport you’ve ever seen, Ed?” The question from a young friend gave me pause. Not the best sporting event I’ve ever seen. That might not be easy, but some parameters immediately spring to mind to help refine my choice. No: the best sport, period. I’ve seen a fair few, after all. Got [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget to send borrowing costs soaring; New AIM IPO December 4, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Sir Keir Starmer has asked the British public to judge his premiership on the government’s ability to “make people feel better off”. Well, in the capital the Prime Minister shouldn’t be expecting a warm reception from young Brits, who are feeling the pinch of the [...]
The Leaky War: How Rachel Reeves and the OBR came to blows December 4, 2025 Between 5:16am and 11:30am on the day of the Budget, as Rachel Reeves was putting the finishing touches to her House of Commons speech, 7 audacious internet users made 44 attempts to break into the servers of Britain’s fiscal watchdog to get an early glimpse of her plans. An hour before Reeves stood up in [...]