Top banks urge Rachel Reeves to expand small business lending scheme Banking Top UK banks are lobbying Rachel Reeves to beef up the government’s small business lending scheme in a bid to unlock more capital to be lent to firms. A letter penned by UK Finance – the banking industry body that represents the likes of Barclays, Lloyds and Natwest – has called for the Chancellor to [...]
UK Private Capital raises alarm over ‘slow and unclear’ progress from Mansion House signatories Investing A leading private capital trade body has raised the alarm over the lack of urgency from Mansion House signatories to meet their commitments and increase allocations into venture capital. UK Private Capital, which was previously known as the British Venture Capital Association, has called on signatories to work faster, after uncovering limited evidence of any [...]
Mansion tax is an ‘assault’ on London’s property market Property The UK’s new ‘mansion tax’ is set to hit homeowners in London hard, particularly for middle-class Londoners who have seen the price of their property balloon in the last two decades. Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced a new high-value council tax surcharge for owners of properties valued at over £2m in her second Budget on Wednesday. [...]
Lady Mayor Susan Langley: My career has been completely accidental November 13, 2025 Susan Langley is the City's first titled Lady Mayor. Today, fresh from her inauguration, she takes us through her Square Mile career.
Rachel Reeves’ banking reforms ‘unlikely to be transformative’ November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ financial services growth mission faces a major blow with top City voices warning her regulatory reforms won’t be transformative. The Chancellor unveiled her Leeds Reform package intended to “rewire the financial services industry” in July this year. Whilst the moves were cheered by industry bigwigs, analysts have raised concerns the changes will fail [...]
Banking watchdog boss warns easing capital rules ‘highly risky’ October 22, 2025 The head of the UK’s banking watchdog has warned of high risk if the UK loosens its rules around lenders’ capital framework as the government pushes for economic growth. Sam Woods, the head of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said requiring banks to no longer set aside capital for top-tier sovereign bonds would “be equivalent [...]
‘Disappointment’ and muted activity: Dealmakers sour on UK market October 7, 2025 UK dealmakers’ faith in the economy has slumped to its lowest in nine years with executives blaming a string of policy blunders and a sluggish deal environment for weighing on market activity. Over half of Britain’s private equity and corporate finance bosses feel negative about the next 18-24 months, according to a fresh poll of [...]
Kendall faces tough test to rescue UK’s broken AI policy September 5, 2025 Liz Kendall is expected to replace Peter Kyle as science and tech secretary in a major reshuffle by Keir Starmer, inheriting one of the government’s most urgent briefs: artificial intelligence. Kyle is reportedly moving to the Department for Business, with the skills brief carved out of the Department for Education. His departure from the tech [...]
Peter Kyle sets out tech growth plan as UK AI sector hits £2.9bn September 3, 2025 Technology secretary Peter Kyle has pitched the UK as a “global magnet” for innovation in his keynote speech at Mansion House on Wednesday evening. His pledge comes as investment in British AI companies hit record levels last year. Figures released alongside his address confirm that private investment in UK AI firms reached £2.9bn in 2024, [...]
Peter Kyle pushes AI regulation changes to support UK businesses September 3, 2025 Technology secretary Peter Kyle will use his speech at Mansion House tonight to urge UK regulators to adopt AI in a bid to cut approval times for businesses, as Britain seeks to keep pace in the global race for tech leadership. Kyle is set to pledge £2.7m in government funding to help regulators trial AI [...]