Reform UK pledge to stand candidates at all council elections in May March 17, 2025 Reform UK has promised to stand candidates in all the council elections in May. Chairman Zia Yusuf has pledged the party will stand candidates in all council seats at the local elections on May 1. Speaking at a press conference in central London, Yusuf said: “Last May, Reform failed to stand in 88 per cent [...]
Harmony Energy joins wave of investment trust buyouts March 17, 2025 Another investment trust looks set to be taken over by a private equity group amid a steep discount in share prices for UK trusts across the market. Harmony Energy Income Trust has been offered £190.8m by Foresight Group LLP, a private equity and infrastructure investment house, the trust announced today. The deal looks likely to [...]
Rightmove: 74,000 house buyers to narrowly miss stamp duty deadline March 17, 2025 Rightmove’s stamp duty report has identified an estimated 74,000 moves, which includes 25,000 first-time buyers, that will just miss the March 31 deadline and complete in April. They form the unlucky section of a “massive log-jam” of 575,000 movers hoping to complete ahead of the tax change, Rightmove said. Collectively, the buyers are set to [...]
Talking Finance: Five questions you should ask yourself before investing March 17, 2025 In this episode of Talking Finance, Marianna Hunt, a volunteer at City Pay it Forward, explains the five questions everyone should ask themselves before they start investing.
What was the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies? March 17, 2025 The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies is the latest (and perhaps the most obscure) victim piled upon the government’s bonfire of quangos. First there was the Payment Systems Regulator, which was rolled into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Then, Sir Keir Starmer announced his most radical health reform yet by shuttering NHS [...]
Broker questions Asda’s turnaround plan March 17, 2025 London broker Jeffries has questioned whether Asda’s sales will rise quickly enough to meet the demands of its turnaround plan. Last week, UK supermarket giant Asda announced a drop in yearly sales, alongside a significant turnaround plan aiming to bring the supermarket back to its roots. Key to this plan is a significant investment in [...]
Oracle: Billionaire backer of Donald Trump to invest billions in the UK March 17, 2025 Oracle, the US technology giant founded by a major billionaire backer of Donald Trump, has announced plans to invest $5bn (£3.9bn) in the UK. The company, which was co-founded by Larry Ellison, said it will invest the money over the next five years to ‘meet the rapidly growing demand for its cloud services in the [...]
Thames Water: Challenge to £3bn emergency loan dismissed by Court of Appeal March 17, 2025 An appeal against a £3bn rescue package for Thames Water has been dismissed following a three-day hearing last week. The Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday averts the possibility of the UK’s biggest water supplier being placed into special administration (SAR). But critics argue the £3bn emergency loan from a group of Class A creditors [...]
Lessons in investing from ISA millionaires March 17, 2025 interactive investor is the UK’s second largest investment platform for private investors. Last week, we celebrated International Women’s Day, so I thought it was apt to dedicate this week’s column to dispelling some of the myths surrounding the way women invest their money so that we can empower and inspire more women to invest – [...]
Regeneration of iconic east London Gasworks gets green light March 17, 2025 The redevelopment of Bromley-by-Bow gasworks, set to create more than 2,000 homes, has been given the go ahead by Newham council. Berkeley Group company St William, in collaboration with Historic England, will invest millions in turning the 23-acre brownfield site into a multi-use residential and public space. St William’s managing director, Dean Summers, called it [...]