Who is ‘Drastic Dave’, the man sent to save Diageo? November 11, 2025 Diageo shareholders breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the FTSE 100 drinks giant unveiled the appointment of its new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Shares rose 7.5 per cent in morning trading to 1,856 pence following the selection of the retail and consumer goods veteran, rebounding from their sharp drop last Thursday following [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms November 11, 2025 UK retailers suffered a “subdued” October as Brits tightened their pockets ahead of what is expected to be a tax-heavy Autumn Budget. Retail sales increased 1.6 per cent year-on-year but remained below the 12-month average of 2.1 per cent, marking the weakest growth since May. The new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and [...]
Barclay family’s Very Group snapped up by US private equity giant November 10, 2025 Online retailer The Very Group has been snapped up by a US private equity giant, ending an over 20 year tenure of ownership under the Barclay family. The group will now be controlled by Washington-based Carlyle alongside Abu Dhabi-based investment fund International Media Investments (IMI). It marks the latest offshoring of businesses for the Barclay [...]
Legal sector defies economic headwinds with rising headcount and profits November 10, 2025 Despite ongoing pressure on salaries and increases in employment taxes, legal firms have reported an average headcount increase of nearly 4 per cent over the past year. According to the ‘law firm benchmarking report’ by professional service firm Crowe, the headcount growth was concentrated among fee earners, but nearly half of firms reported either no [...]
The BBC’s Praetorian Guard would preside over its death November 10, 2025 The BBC has had to apologise to the President of the United States for manipulating footage to give audiences the impression he said something that he did not say. The gravity of this error was so enormous that it caused the resignation of the CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, and the Director General of [...]
Rachel Reeves concedes manifesto pledges may be dropped November 10, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested that Labour manifesto commitments will be ditched amid a “significantly worse” economic inheritance than expected last year. In an interview with the BBC, Reeves said she would prefer to increase government spending on infrastructure rather than cut taxes for Britons. When asked whether the government would stick to manifesto commitments, [...]
Atletico Madrid valued at £2.2bn after Apollo Global Management acquisition November 10, 2025 LaLiga club Atletico Madrid has been valued at around £2.2bn after Apollo Global Management purchased a majority stake in the Spanish team. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and president Enrique Cerezo will continue in post but the acquisition represents the latest private equity push into European football. It is understood that the US fund [...]
Nigel Farage: VAT threshold should be raised November 10, 2025 Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has hit out at suggestions that the VAT threshold for businesses should be lowered from its £90,000 threshold. Reports have suggested that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could lower the threshold at which businesses must be registered for VAT to £30,000 in a phased approach, a policy backed by several think tank wonks [...]
FTSE 100 and S&P 500 circle record highs as US shutdown cools November 10, 2025 Global markets sprung back to life on Monday after AI jitters and the US government shutdown helped trigger widespread sell-offs last week. The S&P 500 – which tracks the 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States – jumped over one per cent to 6,804.80p at Wall Street’s opening bell. The tech-heavy [...]
745 Game for MND raises £110,000 as rugby union and league come together November 10, 2025 Legends of rugby union and league clashed on Sunday as the 745 Game raised £110,000 to help fight motor neurone disease. The match, played at Prem Rugby club Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium, saw the likes of Mike Tindall run out while figures including Jonny Wilkinson watched from the sidelines. It was won 43-45 by Team Burrow. [...]