Scottish Widows owner: Pension funds deal risks making UK like China Economics Labour’s flagship deal with pension funds risks making the UK economy more like China, the boss of Lloyds Banking Group has warned after its subsidiary Scottish Widows chose not to sign up to the agreement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves won the support of 17 pension funds which agreed to invest at least five per cent of [...]
Exclusive: Kemi Badenoch makes her pitch to the City Politics Kemi Badenoch has apologised to the business community for any trust lost under previous Tory governments, insisting that “the Conservative party is the natural party of business.” The Tory leader said “I’m sorry if at any time over the last 14 years we did not seem like that,” adding that hers is now “the only [...]
Blow to London Stock Exchange as Scottish Widows plots huge selloff Markets The London Stock Exchange has been dealt another hammer blow after it emerged one of the UK’s biggest pension funds plans to massively cut its allocation for UK equities. The Edinburgh-based business, which manages as much as £72bn in pension assets, intends to slash the UK equities allocation in its highest growth portfolio from 12 [...]
Three Decades of AIM: celebrating growth, jobs and Opportunity June 19, 2025 Since 1995 AIM has helped more that 4,000 firms raise over £130bn of capital and helped launch household names like Jet2 and Fever-tree, says city minister Emma Reynolds This year marks the 30th anniversary of the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) — a milestone that offers a moment to reflect on the transformative [...]
Pension and ISA reform can reverse London’s stock market malaise June 16, 2025 London must back ambition to reverse our stock market malaise, but pension and ISA reform may be the first step, writes Alastair King.
Rachel Reeves to set ‘binding’ pensions allocations in megafunds launch May 29, 2025 Rachel Reeves has confirmed plans to set “binding” allocations in pension funds as the government prepares for the launch of “megafunds” to encourage fresh investment into UK infrastructure and businesses. The Treasury said it would “take a reserve power” in the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill “to set binding asset allocation targets,” a move it said [...]
Pension reforms show the private sector is backing Britain May 19, 2025 Seventeen major UK pension schemes have united under the Mansion House Accord to invest 10 per cent of their default funds into private markets, with half allocated to the UK, marking a bold industry-led shift toward using long-term capital to drive national growth, says Alastair King In a landmark show of leadership, 17 of the [...]
Don’t force pension funds to buy British, Aviva chief warns ministers May 15, 2025 British pension funds should not be forced to invest in UK assets, the boss of one of London’s biggest insurance firms has said, in a rebuke of the government’s pension reforms plans. The Treasury this week helped seal a voluntary, non-binding agreement by pension funds, dubbed the Mansion House Accord, will see increased investment into [...]
Week in Business: Small glass of champagne for Reeves? May 15, 2025 There was some welcome economic growth in Q1 but it's in the rear view mirror; is there any on the horizon?
‘Cautious welcome’: City bigwigs react to Mansion House Accord May 14, 2025 City analysts and politicians have been probing the ramifications of the Mansion House Accord, a new deal spearheaded by the government that aims to encourage more diverse investments by pension funds. The accord, which was signed by seventeen major pension funds yesterday, is a voluntary commitment to allocate ten per cent of funds to private [...]