M&S chair: Tax and employment costs holding back Britain Retail Rising taxes and employment costs are holding businesses back from investing in Britain and helping it “prosper,” an M&S boss has said. Archie Norman, chairman of the retail giant and former chief executive of Asda, told shareholders on Tuesday that these “big regulatory headwinds” are “not making it easier to invest and prosper in Britain”. [...]
M&S to face shareholder grilling over cyber attack recovery Retail Marks and Spencer is set to take a grilling from shareholders over whether it has made a meaningful recovery from the cyber attack which wiped out nearly a third of its profit. The FTSE 100 retailer will face investors at its annual general meeting on Tuesday, where it will expect to be quizzed on whether [...]
Big Technologies boardroom battle intensifies after director ousted Markets A fierce battle between the founder of Big Technologies and its board has gathered pace after one of the directors was voted out by shareholders. Founder Sara Murray, who was herself ousted from the board last year following accusations of fraud and forged documents, had voted to remove all four directors who were up for [...]
Nationwide accused of picking ‘unfair fight’ with member board candidate May 28, 2026 Nationwide has been accused of picking an “unfair fight” with one of its members who has sought to clinch a seat on the building society’s board. The mutual has opted not to recommend the candidacy of James Sherwin-Smith, who is running to be the first member to take a seat on Nationwide’s board in nearly [...]
An Inspector Calls at Nationwide’s annual general meeting May 27, 2026 In 49 days An Inspector Calls at the Nationwide annual general meeting and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what he could be asking. Also on the agenda… after annual report season, it’s time for Starling to go full throttle on Engine. Not since the keen-eyed Inspector Goole shattered the comfortable illusions of [...]
Banking on a storm: Natwest weathers first of AGM climate rows April 29, 2026 Natwest faced a prickly time in its Edinburgh AGM and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at whether fun and games could be in store for its peers. Also on the agenda this week – Revolut heads for some Spanish sun. Natwest chair Rick Haythornthwaite suffered a thorny reception on Tuesday at the bank’s [...]
Natwest forced to pause AGM after climate protest April 28, 2026 Natwest was forced to pause its annual general meeting on Tuesday following a disruption from climate protesters. The FTSE 100 giant’s chairman Rick Haythornthwaite adjourned the meeting – taking place at Natwest’s Gogarburn headquarters in Scotland – after protesters disrupted his address to shareholders. Campaigners had been calling for a protest vote against Haythornthwaite in [...]
US investor dials up attacks on investment trust before crunch vote January 7, 2026 The American hedge fund tycoon behind a campaign to shake up Britain’s investment trust sector has ramped up his attacks on a Baillie Gifford fund ahead of a pivotal shareholder vote, demanding answers over its decision to offload shares in Space X. Boaz Weinstein, the founder of Saba Capital, published an open letter to Edinburgh [...]
Mark Kleinman: AA float needs smart pricing to avoid breakdown May 29, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column Here’s a candidate for toughest IPO mandate in the City: return the venerable AA, the UK’s biggest breakdown recovery service, to the public markets roughly five years after it was taken private for a fraction of [...]
Plus500 suffers huge shareholder revolt against top pay packets May 6, 2025 Plus500 has suffered another huge shareholder revolt against its remuneration report. At the London-listed company’s annual general meeting (AGM), more than 51 per cent of votes were cast against the report which was included in its recent annual report. At the AGM, more than 22 per cent of votes were also cast against the re-election [...]