Markets responded positively to Budget, says Peel Hunt chief December 1, 2025 The boss of one of London’s best-known investment banks has shrugged off concerns over the Budget, suggesting that the tax-raising plans pleased financial markets. Peel Hunt CEO Steven Fine said markets viewed the state of the UK’s finances as “quite stable” following the Budget, pointing to a rise in the government’s fiscal headroom which helped [...]
Gail’s to open 40 bakeries after creating 500 jobs December 1, 2025 Bakery chain Gail’s is to open 40 new sites by the end of February after creating almost 500 jobs during its latest financial year. The London-headquartered business said the new locations will all be open by 28 February, 2026, and it has plans to launch similar numbers “going forward”. The expansion comes after Gail’s opened [...]
World Darts Championship extends title sponsor deal with Paddy Power December 1, 2025 Paddy Power’s title sponsorship of the World Darts Championship will near a decade after the bookie extended its deal with the showpiece event by another five years. The Flutter-owned firm took over from Cazoo in December 2023 and will be the title sponsor until at least 2031 after penning a half-decade extension with the Professional [...]
Argos loses more than £200m as over 2,000 jobs cut December 1, 2025 Argos lost more than £200m during its latest financial year as over it cut over 2,000 jobs. The retailer, which is owned by FTSE 100 supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, has reported a pre-tax loss of £223.2m for the 12 months to 1 March, 2025. The loss comes after Argos posted a pre-tax profit of £37.3m in [...]
Steven Bartlett hiring journalists for new tech news site December 1, 2025 Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Steven Bartlett has set up his own journalism website focused on technology news, City AM can reveal. The website, Founded.com, is to report on technology companies based in the UK and US and is expected to officially launch in the middle of December. A total of 10 journalists, as well as an [...]
Former City minister Tulip Siddiq sentenced to two years over corruption charges December 1, 2025 Labour’s Tulip Siddiq has been found guilty by a Bangladesh court of influencing ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her aunt, to obtain plots of land on the outskirts of Dhaka. When Labour won power in July, Siddiq was appointed economic secretary to the Treasury and City minister. However, less than five months into her ministerial [...]
Revolut in new spat with regulators over Storonsky’s residency December 1, 2025 Revolut has been caught in a fresh row with UK watchdogs following the chief executive of the fintech juggernaut shifting his residency to the United Arab Emirates. Nik Storonsky, the boss of the London-headquartered digital bank, sparked waves of conversation after Companies House filings in October revealed the fintech chief had ditch his main residency [...]
Virgin Media slapped with £24m Ofcom fine December 1, 2025 Ofcom has dished out its biggest fine of the year after accusing telecoms giant Virgin Media of failing to protect vulnerable customers. The media regulator has hit Virgin Media with a £23.8m fine over its treatment of customers during a planned transition from analogue to digital landlines. Virgin Media notified Ofcom over incidents connected with [...]
Blockbuster FTSE merger abandoned after shareholder fury December 1, 2025 A plan to merge two FTSE-listed funds to form the UK’s largest infrastructure investment firm has been abandoned after shareholders expressed frustration with the terms of the deal. HICL Infrastructure said it will no longer be proceeding with its planned merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) after its board “determined that it cannot progress [...]
Business confidence drops to post-pandemic lows after Budget December 1, 2025 Business confidence in bosses’ own organisations fell to the lowest level in over five-and-a-half years after the Budget, a leading survey has suggested, as the absence of growth policies in Rachel Reeves’ statement dampened leaders’ moods. The Institute of Directors’ monthly survey indicated bosses were fearing for the worst after last Wednesday’s much-anticipated event, with [...]