Rupert Lowe axes pensions triple lock and pledges tax cuts in economic plan August 4, 2026 Rupert Lowe, the hard right leader of the Restore Britain party, has said he would back scrapping the triple lock pension and ordering three-year freezes on departmental budgets. Lowe, who has mainly focused on the issue of immigration since breaking from Reform UK over a year ago, published a pamphlet outlining his new party’s economic [...]
British brewery drafts plan to join Pisces platform August 4, 2026 A British brewery has drawn up plans to become the inaugural member of Asset Match’s new private markets platform, granting it a major boost as it competes to lure over unlisted companies to its framework. The online private stock market has welcomed Wiltshire-based brewer and pub operator Wadworth to its Private Intermittent Securities and Capital [...]
North Sea is not competitive, says BP boss days after exit August 4, 2026 The boss of BP has branded the North Sea as not competitive just days after putting the company’s assets in the basin up for sale. Meg O’Neill, who took over as chief executive in April said she had spoken with prime minister Andy Burnham as she justified BP’s decision to exit the North Sea. Speaking [...]
Susannah Streeter: investors are bracing for tax rises August 4, 2026 The Notebook, where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today financial commentator Susannah Streeter takes the pen Usually, at this time of year we would be enjoying Médoc’s beautiful beaches, looking forward to long lunches, endless stretches of Atlantic coastline and enjoying the region’s famous wine as the sun sets. But the devastating [...]
What are we to make of John Healey? Time will tell. August 4, 2026 Who exactly is in charge of this government’s economic policy? In a bid to find out, I’ve tasked two of our journalists to hit the phones, mooch around the bars of Whitehall and track down Westminster’s new power brokers. I’ll let you know what we find out, but he fact that the answer to this [...]
UK founders cast doubt on Burnham’s pro-business push August 4, 2026 The majority of Britain’s top scale-up founders believe business conditions will not improve under Andy Burnham as just one in 20 entrepreneurs feel the new PM backs the private sector. New research by Helm, a membership group of over 400 scale-up founders, suggested that a substantial number of its members were pessimistic about Burnham’s premiership. [...]
London’s IPO lull expected to last into 2027 August 3, 2026 London’s IPO market is expected to remain subdued for the rest of the year, as domestic and overseas political upheaval puts companies off listing. The UK’s stock market has had minimal IPO activity this year to date, seeing just seven new listings which raised a combined £557m. This ended the IPO surge seen at the [...]
AI powerhouses are betting on London’s future August 3, 2026 London is a truly global city with a world-leading financial sector, a sophisticated and mature technology ecosystem, and the infrastructure to support growth at scale – and with these major recent AI office signings, we are seeing the city endorsed by the businesses shaping frontier technology, says Mike Wiseman In my experience, the property market [...]
Astrazeneca share price tumbles on $400bn megamerger talks August 3, 2026 Astrazeneca’s share price slumped sharply on Monday as investors baulked at a potential $400bn megamerger with US rival Bristol Myers Squibb. Shares in the UK drugmaker slid six per cent in early trading to 11,866p after the Financial Times reported it has been holding talks regarding a potential tie-up with the US group in recent [...]
Astrazeneca explores $400bn megadeal with US rival August 3, 2026 Astrazeneca is exploring a $400bn (£300bn) merger with US rival Bristol Myers Squibb, in a deal that would create one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical groups. The FTSE 100 giant has held talks with the US group in recent months about a possible tie-up, according to reports in the Financial Times. Talks could lead to a [...]