JCB billionaire banks record £866m pay day October 3, 2025 The billionaire Bamford family paid themselves £866m despite JCB’s sales and profit being slashed in 2024, it has been revealed. The Staffordshire-headquartered manufacturer issued the huge dividend which was up significantly from the £300m it paid out in 2023. The dividend total from 2023 had previously been JCB’s largest pay out in a decade until [...]
Manufacturing sector breakdown worsens amid ‘dearth of export work’ October 1, 2025 A breakdown in activity across the manufacturing sector has deepened as new data has shown export work coming to a halt and investment falling flat. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for manufacturing in September showed the sector was still struggling to bounce back despite some quiet optimism in recent months. Activity in the sector [...]
Meet the lawyer that launched Mayer Brown into Space (law) October 1, 2025 Fifteen years ago, Rachael O’Grady, an arbitration lawyer, had a blown-up satellite operator case land on her desk, a case that would pique her interest and ultimately lead to the creation of a space practice at Mayer Brown. “Given my international law background, I started thinking about space and how that might interact with international [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giant now worth £100bn September 29, 2025 FTSE 100 giant Rolls-Royce is now worth more than £100bn after its share price continued its remarkable rise. The Derby-headquartered group passed the milestone for the first time in its 121-year history on Friday before slipping back. Now, shares in Rolls-Royce have risen again and surpassed 1,191p, giving the company a valuation of more than [...]
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 [...]
UK economy stalls with 50,000 job losses ahead of Autumn Budget September 23, 2025 The UK economy was hit by a “litany of worrying news” in the three months to September with thousands of jobs lost ahead of Rachel Reeves’ second Autumn Budget. The latest ‘flash’ PMI from S&P Global showed business activity expectations for the year ahead slumped to a three-month low in September as firms braced for [...]
Cadbury shakes off royal snub as sales surge September 11, 2025 Cadbury has shaken off losing the royal seal of approval after a surge in European sales helped its profit jump during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The Birmingham-based iconic chocolate maker hit the headlines at the end of 2024 after being dropped from the list of royal warrants for the first time [...]
Fallout from ‘frustratingly simple’ Jaguar Land Rover attack to last for weeks September 8, 2025 A cyber attack at Jaguar Land Rover, which forced the company to halt production and retail operations on September 2, is set to continue for weeks in a huge headache for the firm. The incident prompted the UK’s biggest carmaker to take its systems offline as a precaution, while emails sent to staff at its plant [...]
Manufacturing recovery collapses amid spiralling costs September 1, 2025 Manufacturing output hit a three-month low in August, a new survey has suggested, after early signs in the summer indicated the sector was on a path to recovery. The Labour government is determined to deliver higher growth, with strategy papers outlining plans to boost production across the UK by lowering energy costs. But new purchasing [...]
Tax crackdown drives rise in compulsory liquidations August 19, 2025 Company directors are “feeling the impact” of HMRC’s crackdown on unpaid taxes as compulsory liquidations spiked by 11 per cent in the year to July 2025, official data has shown. More bosses wound up their businesses last month than had done so in June, with creditors’ voluntary liquidations still driving insolvencies across the UK. But [...]