Close Brothers looks to ‘accelerate’ after ‘messy’ year October 1, 2025 Close Brothers is hoping to switch gears and “accelerate” after the motor finance scandal had the bank stuck in a rut. The specialist lender’s share price has swerved between a low of 185.00 and peak of 555.00 over the last 12 months. The car misselling saga has been the driving force of stock woes, sending [...]
Labour planning rescue for Jaguar Land Rover after cyber attack September 27, 2025 The Labour government is set to announce an emergency rescue package for Jaguar Land Rover as soon as this weekend after the firm was driven into chaos following a cyber attack. Business secretary Peter Kyle has been in “intense conversations” with JLR and its parent company Tata after fears the knock-on effect of the hack [...]
One in seven women endure unwanted sexual behaviour at work, survey finds September 25, 2025 New data reveals that more than a quarter of women have faced harassment at work, and one in seven have been subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour, highlighting a persistent problem across UK workplaces. WalkSafe, a safety platform founded after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, has released statistics highlighting a worrying trend of threatening behaviour [...]
Manufacturing sector warned: Employment claims set to soar under new Rights Bill September 25, 2025 Manufacturing businesses are grappling with a rising tide of Employment Tribunal claims, driven by economic pressures, which are set to become even more challenging under the Employment Rights Bill. A new report from law firm Birketts, shared exclusively with City AM, reveals that manufacturing businesses faced an average of 39.44 tribunal claims over the past [...]
Cyber attacks cost European businesses over €300bn as insurance uptake lags September 24, 2025 Almost half of businesses in four of the largest European economies reported at least one cyber attack over the last five years, resulting in costs exceeding €300bn (£261bn). According to a new report by British insurance broker Howden, the cyber attacks on businesses in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain over the past five years equated [...]
Fewer than 1 in 5 senior finance roles held by women September 22, 2025 Women make up less than 20 per cent of senior leadership roles at UK financial services businesses, highlighting the persistent gender gap at the top of the industry. According to new data by employment law firm Fox & Partners, out of the 66,860 senior executives in UK financial services businesses, only 12,430 are held by [...]
Class action boom hampers Britain’s economic expansion September 18, 2025 The surge in cases could cost the UK economy up to £18bn, diverting resources away from innovation and undermining growth, according to a new Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) report. A report, authored by lawyer Stephen Dnes, warns that the UK’s competition class action system has seen an explosion of speculative lawsuits, with around one [...]
Enough slogans, Labour must walk the walk on growth September 11, 2025 The government’s promises of economic growth will fail unless it moves beyond slogans and reshuffles to implement substantive structural reforms in tax, planning and infrastructure to provide the certainty and stability needed to attract business investment, says John Caudwell Our Prime Minister tells us, once again, that his government is focused on growth. The reshuffle [...]
Has the legal market pulled the brakes on the NQ pay war? September 4, 2025 ‘City lawyers are the new bankers‘. This became a common refrain in the legal market as pay wars ramped up. However, the sentiment within the market suggests that the tide may be changing. Over the past several years, the pay war over newly qualified (NQ) lawyers has been a major talking point in the market, [...]
Geopolitical instability hits the bottom line as businesses suffer investment losses September 3, 2025 Businesses have suffered losses in international projects or investments due to geopolitical and economic risks, with interest in political risk insurance (PRI) soaring as a result. According to a new report by insurer Howden, over half of the companies surveyed, comprising around 500 senior risk and treasury function decision-makers, reported suffering a political loss to [...]