Big pharma’s devastating retreat from the UK September 16, 2025 Merck and AstraZeneca’s withdrawal from UK investment is a warning signal to Rachel Reeves – but is she listening? Asks Oliver Dean Both AstraZeneca and Merck’s decision to abandon their respective UK expansions is more than a corporate setback. It is a catastrophic loss of jobs, investment and future innovation and the public are now [...]
Google pledges £5bn investment as it opens first UK data centre September 16, 2025 Google has pledged to invest £5bn into the British economy as it opens its first owned and operated data centre in the UK. The tech giant said the investment, which comprises capital spending and research and development over the next two years, will bolster its AI-powered projects in science and healthcare, creating more than 8,000 [...]
Parents’ secrecy on inheritance plans leaves children facing unexpected tax burdens September 15, 2025 Parents are choosing not to tell their children about their inheritance plans, leaving them at risk of being slapped with unexpected tax bills, new research has found. According to investment manager Charles Stanley, more than a third of Brits have an alarming lack of knowledge of how their parents plan to pass down wealth, despite [...]
Brits risk financial future as they fail to save for retirement September 15, 2025 UK savers are failing to put enough money away to fund retirement, despite growing calls from industry figures for people to get to grips with their pension savings. According to the latest report from Lloyds subsidiary Scottish Widows, nearly a quarter of working age people aren’t currently saving for retirement. Meanwhile, over a third are [...]
Bank of England likely to slow down QT programme, Investec economist says September 15, 2025 The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is likely to slow down its quantitative tightening (QT) programme over the next year, an Investec economist has said, as Britain’s central bank looks to quell concerns over rising gilt yields. “We doubt that the MPC will maintain the same pace of balance sheet reduction next year [...]
Exclusive: FCA licence approvals slump September 15, 2025 As few as six e-money licence applications have been granted by the UK’s financial regulator over the past 9 months, City AM can reveal, underscoring the scale of the regulatory obstacles faced by Britain’s fintech startups. Data obtained by City AM via Freedom of Information request showed that not a single authorised electronic money institution (AEMI) licence [...]
Nuclear plants to be built faster in UK-US energy deal September 15, 2025 Nuclear plants could come online faster in a new deal between the UK and the US aimed at boosting growth in the sector and bolstering energy security. Under plans set to be signed off during US president Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK this week, the time for a nuclear project to get a [...]
Britain faces ‘looming’ crisis without spending cut, says Mel Stride-backed report September 15, 2025 Britain faces a looming fiscal crisis without reigning in spending and boosting the competitiveness of the City, according to a new report. With annual per capita growth stagnating and public spending ballooning, the government needs to bring growth back to the economy and boost living standards, according to the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) report [...]
Foreign takeovers risk turning UK into an ‘incubator economy’ September 15, 2025 The UK is facing a time crunch to avoid becoming an “incubator economy” as foreign takeovers continue to sweep the London market. A collection of top venture capital investors and founders have called for crucial reforms to the markets ecosystem with a focus on pensions and the IPO environment. The reforms, as outlined in a [...]
New business secretary Peter Kyle admits ‘we need to do better’ September 14, 2025 Business Secretary Peter Kyle has said he accepts the Labour government needs to do better for Britain in a new interview. The Labour government has ben under intense pressure due to a downturn in business confidence and a series of political scandals. “We accept that we need Britain to feel the benefits of our changes [...]