PwC’s UK business grows but Iran conflict hits wider group September 16, 2026 Big Four giant PwC reported steady financial growth in its UK business, with revenue and profit per partner both increasing slightly from the previous year, despite group revenue slipping due to the Middle East conflict. For the year ended 30 June 2026, PwC’s UK business’s revenue grew to £4.365bn, up two per cent on the previous year. While [...]
Bosses made to justify why staff shouldn’t work from home September 16, 2026 Bosses will have to host a meeting with staff who ask for flexible working and lay out their rationale for refusing, under a new policy outlined by Louise Haigh. The cabinet office minister told a union gathering that business leaders would have to “properly consider” flexibility requests from staff and grant an in-person meeting to [...]
WH Smith warns on profit again as discounting hits margins September 16, 2026 WH Smith has cut its profit target again after warning that intense discounting and “inflation headwinds” are hitting its bottom line. The convenience retailer had initially told investors it could make as much as £105m in pre-tax profit this year, before slashing the target to between £75m and £90m. On Wednesday, the group reduced its [...]
Barratt Redrow shares soar after UK’s biggest housebuilder trims targets September 16, 2026 Shares in Barratt Redrow soared after the housebuilder, the UK’s largest, trimmed its targets to deal with the “challenging” outlook that has faced the sector since the Iran war broke out. The FTSE 100 housebuilder said it is cutting back on spending and slashing costs to keep up with the surging building costs and slump [...]
Inflation inches higher ahead of interest rates decision September 16, 2026 Inflation inched higher in the year to August, official data has shown, adding to pressures faced by the Bank of England ahead of its interest rate decision on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation in the 12 months to August was 3.1 per cent, higher than last month’s [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises after inflation jump; oil supply in focus September 16, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. UK inflation has seen a fresh spike to 3.1 per cent in August, up from 2.9 per cent the month prior. The fresh print comes as Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – holds around the $108 per barrel mark, near four-month highs. Industry data managed [...]
Clean up or lawyer up: The FCA’s culture war gets real September 16, 2026 With the City watchdog empowered to penalise non-financial misconduct and fresh off a win at the Upper Tribunal, lawyers now expect to be flooded with work from businesses that are grappling with the focus on culture, as bullying, harassment, and serious misconduct are no longer just HR matters, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The Financial Conduct Authority [...]
We’re walking an economic tightrope and the wind is picking up September 16, 2026 I spent much of my morning yesterday with a group of City chiefs for a candid (though unfortunately, off the record) chat about the health of our economy and the state of our politics. I feared that my stump speech about the perilous state of our public finances, our low growth rate, the ever-expanding state [...]
Manchester United’s new stadium could be delayed until 2035 as timeline slips September 16, 2026 Manchester United’s new stadium may not open until 2035, according to official planning documentation. The timeline for the £2bn-plus project has repeatedly slipped ever since minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe announced in March 2025 that United would build a new stadium rather than renovate Old Trafford. At the time, the billionaire said it could be [...]
Healey urged to ‘restore faith’ by ending personal allowance freeze in Budget September 16, 2026 UK savers are demanding chancellor John Healey end the freeze on the personal allowance in his maiden Autumn Budget, as more Brits get dragged into higher tax bands. A recent poll showed nearly 70 per cent of taxpayers want Healey to unfreeze the personal allowance, with critics arguing it has forced workers and pensioners into [...]