Billionaire Weston family closes in on £7bn Boots takeover Business The Canada arm of the billionaire family behind Primark is inching towards another deal, as it closes in on a £7bn takeover of Boots from its private equity owners. The Westons are in advanced talks to buy the UK pharmacy chain from Sycamore Partners, ending hopes of a potential London IPO. Discussions are ongoing, a [...]
Autumn Budget: Healey weighs slashing fiscal headroom to reduce tax hikes Politics Chancellor John Healey is debating accepting a smaller fiscal buffer in order to reduce tax hikes in next month’s Autumn Budget. The Treasury and No 10 are in active discussions over whether to set a lower buffer in the Budget than the Office for Budget Responsibility set in March, according to reports in the Financial [...]
Tech the only bright spot as job security fears climb to highest level since 2023 Business Job security for British workers has fallen to a three-and-a-half year low across all sectors other than IT and telecoms, according to new data from S&P Global’s UK consumer index. The findings, based on a panel of 1,500 UK households, show the level of job insecurity was at its highest since February 2023 as consumers continue to [...]
Energy costs and rate hikes to weigh on growth September 21, 2026 The UK economy is forecast to grow in 2026, but rising energy bills and higher borrowing costs will weigh on activity in the second half of the year. The economy is set to grow 1.3 per cent this year, according to KPMG’s latest economic outlook, after household spending was “supported by warmer weather” while businesses [...]
Economists may have ignored the biggest reason for our productivity decline September 16, 2026 Productivity in the West has slowed dramatically since the late 2000s, but there is no consensus as to why.
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin attacks government’s ‘unfriendly’ attitude to business September 11, 2026 Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has said he is “very concerned” by the wealth exodus gripping the UK as he hit out at Labour’s “unfriendly” attitude towards entrepreneurs. The pub tycoon said it is “madness” to blame the number of ultra-rich businesspeople leaving the country on anything other than the business conditions created by the government. [...]
UK firms slash consulting spend amid rising AI adoption September 8, 2026 British businesses are paring back their spending on consulting firms as they turn to AI for problem-solving, according to City AM’s new Business Spend Pulse. Median spending on consulting fees fell by 1.9 per cent in August compared to last year, the tracker found, despite an overall 2.2 per cent increase in corporate spending. That [...]
Burnham’s devolution drive could ‘push 90,000 jobs out of London’ August 12, 2026 Roughly 90,000 of London’s white-collar jobs could be pushed into other parts of the country as Andy Burnham accelerates his devolution drive, a top recruitment firm has predicted. Legal, banking and accounting firms could be among those to shift thousands of jobs away from the capital in a bid to capitalise on the Prime Minister’s [...]
Labour’s ‘chaotic’ zero-hour crackdown could cost firms £3bn per year August 12, 2026 Labour’s ‘chaotic’ crackdown on zero-hour contracts could cost businesses nearly £3bn every year, though firms have warned the real cost could spiral even higher. The cost of the new rules, which include offering guaranteed-hour contracts to flexible employees and paying workers for cancelled shifts, has been revealed in a government impact assessment. The reforms could [...]
The only answers to over-tourism are prices or queues August 5, 2026 Major tourism sites are becoming over crowded as a result of rational herd behaviour. The inevitable result will be charges or queues, says Paul Ormerod Peak holiday season, and the media is full of stories and pictures of popular sites across Europe being overwhelmed by the crowds of visitors. Shots on social media show the [...]