Bank of England holds interest rates but warns of rises to come July 30, 2026 The Bank of England has opted to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent after the UK economy surprised economists with better results for inflation – though policymakers warned that “policy strategy could change” ahead of a difficult second half of the year for price stability. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held interest rates in [...]
Burnham’s plea to City chiefs: let a young person shadow you at work July 30, 2026 Andy Burnham has called on City bosses to let young people shadow them at work as part of a push to tackle the problem of youth unemployment. Speaking to the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast, the prime minister said that there needs to be more work experience and apprenticeships for young people who don’t [...]
Schroders profits surge as assets hit record £868bn July 30, 2026 Schroders said its profit nearly doubled in the first half of the year as assets under management hit a record high of £868bn. The FTSE 100 money manager, which is in the process of being acquired by US funds group Nuveen, said assets under management (AUM) jumped 12 per cent to £867.8bn, up from £776.6bn [...]
LSEG boss hails ‘growing momentum’ of Pisces as profit soars July 30, 2026 The boss of London Stock Exchange operator LSEG has hailed the “growing momentum” of its new Pisces venue as it reported a jump in profit. Chief executive David Schwimmer said the new private markets venue, which recently saw some of its first major transactions, was “opening up significant new market opportunities.” Earlier this month, autonomous [...]
Lloyds beats profit target as bank sets sights on more cost-cutting July 30, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group beat its profit forecast for the first half of the year as the bank’s top boss laid out plans to make further cost savings in the years ahead. The FTSE 100 lender – which owns the Bank of Scotland and Halifax – recorded a £4.3bn pre-tax profit in the first half of [...]
Andy Burnham pledges ‘cost £63bn’ – and tax ideas could backfire July 30, 2026 A series of tax cuts and spending pledges proposed by Andy Burnham and John Healey could cost the government up to £63bn by 2030, new analysis has shown. Promises on defence, social care and council housebuilding could leave the Chancellor facing a bill of between £46bn and £63bn by the end of the decade, which [...]
Michael Dell, Lord Johnson and the ‘gun to the head’ meeting that ended a £15bn AI project July 30, 2026 In December, billionaire Michael Dell opened an alarming email. “My trust in Mr Bellamy has been undermined by the way he has operated”, the email read, “and I cannot be certain the information he shared with you is accurate or complete”. The mysterious missive was sent by Patrick Hughes, the co-founder of a major new [...]
It’s not up to retail investors to revive the London Stock Market July 30, 2026 The British Isa has once again reared its head. We report this week that Standard Life chair Nicholas Lyons has argued that the tax-free wrapper on a stocks and shares Isa should be restricted to investments in UK assets. “Do we really want to be lowering the cost of capital for American companies by giving [...]
Mortgage approvals inch up yet gains to be ‘retracted’ July 29, 2026 Mortgage approvals rose slightly in June, according to Bank of England data, yet growing fears of a rise in interest rates could set the property market back again. Net mortgage approvals climbed by around three per cent, from 56,565 in May to 58,200 in June. That remained below the six-month average of around 61,400, and [...]
‘Difficult decisions’ – Burnham looks at new tax on workers to fund social care overhaul July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham has pleaded for opponents to engage in a cross-party discussion over sweeping adult social care reform as he warned that “difficult decisions” would have to be taken to fund the plans. In a press conference from a Jewish care centre in North London, Burnham indicated he wanted social care to be funded on [...]