Michael Vaughan issues Autumn Budget plea to Rachel Reeves September 18, 2025 Cricket legend Michael Vaughan has issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to help out start-ups and small-to-medium-sized (SMEs) businesses in her Autumn Budget on 26 November. Vaughan, who has recently invested in health and wellness supplement start-up Uthful, hit out at the employers’ National Insurance increase included in last year’s Autumn Budget for causing [...]
Mercury13 acquires Bristol City as fund expands into English football September 18, 2025 Women’s football investment fund Mercury13 has entered the English market, acquiring a majority stake in second tier Bristol City Women. The Juan Mata and Giorgio Chiellini-backed investment vehicle is adding to its portfolio, which counts FC Como Women as its crown jewel, by forging a presence in the West Country. The deal, subject to league [...]
Losses almost tripled at Sale Sharks owner’s £1bn empire before takeover September 18, 2025 Losses at the empire built up by Simon Orange, the self-made millionaire who co-owns rugby union side Sale Sharks, almost tripled in the year before being taken over. Cheshire-based CorpAcq counts more than 40 businesses as part of its portfolio including the likes of Cotton Traders but does not include the Prem Rugby club. The [...]
UK Treasury questions OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta over AI in financial services September 18, 2025 The Treasury Committee has sent letters to six major technology firms, including OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, seeking detailed information about the role they play in providing AI services to the UK financial sector. The correspondence is part of the Committee’s inquiry into AI in financial services, ahead of forthcoming sessions with regulators and HM [...]
Savers stick to cash amid fears over investment risks September 18, 2025 Fears over falling stock prices are prompting UK savers to avoid investing, new research has found, with Brits preferring to park their earnings in cash. According to online trading platform IG, three in five savers believe any form of retail investing is too risky, despite government and industry figures’ encouragement to increase their exposure to [...]
Next share price slumps on gloomy prediction for UK economy September 18, 2025 Next shares sunk on Thursday morning after the retailer issued a stark warning that the UK faces ‘anaemic’ growth due to a combination of technological and regulatory changes. Despite reporting a 10 per cent rise in half-year sales, the FTSE100 company flagged “strong evidence” of a material squeeze on wider UK employment levels due to [...]
Will Shu quits as Deliveroo CEO after denying he planned to leave September 18, 2025 The CEO of Deliveroo, Will Shu, has announced his decision to step down from the company he co-founded in 2013, just months after the company denied he had any plans to leave. In February, after growing speculation Shu was preparing to exit the tech business later in the year, Deliveroo issued a statement in which [...]
Greg Jackson spins off Kraken from Octopus Energy September 18, 2025 Greg Jackson’s Octopus Energy has announced the spin-off of its technology arm Kraken to become a standalone business. The group said the move is aimed at “speeding up the platform’s expansion across the globe” and allowing Kraken to “fast-track investments into its technology, expand into new energy markets and regions, and drive innovation”. Kraken has [...]
Bolt: Uber rival’s profit almost wiped out as legal battles drag on September 18, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of Uber rival Bolt was almost wiped out during its latest financial year as it diverted considerable resources to its on-going legal battles. The online taxi firm has reported a pre-tax profit of £133,355 for 2024, down from the £8.2m it achieved in 2023. The business had previously made a [...]
Mounjaro sales help almost double Ely Lilly’s UK turnover September 18, 2025 The sale of weight loss drug Mounjaro has boosted the UK turnover of pharmaceuticals giant Eli Lilly by 90 per cent during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The division of the US group has posted a turnover of £889m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The new total [...]