Louise Haigh doubles down on demand for OBR overhaul February 24, 2026 Former transport secretary and vocal soft-left backbencher Louise Haigh has issued another plea for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to overhaul the Office for Budget Responsibility a week before the Spring Statement. In a swipe at the Chancellor’s management of the UK economy, Haigh argued that mandating the watchdog to produce five-year forecast windows “risks entrenching decline”. [...]
Record number of women appointed to FTSE 350 boards February 24, 2026 The UK has seen a “transformational” shift in gender diversity, with women now holding 43 per cent of board roles across FTSE 350 companies, a leap from just 9.5 per cent in 2011. The FTSE Women Leaders Review, a government-backed initiative sponsored by KPMG UK and Lloyds Banking Group, revealed that 92 per cent of [...]
Standard Chartered hikes investor returns despite profit miss February 24, 2026 Standard Chartered handed out bumper investor returns following its full-year results despite the London-listed bank missing its profit target pencilled in by analysts. The Asian-focused lender recorded a two per cent uptick in pre-tax profit to $814m, falling below analyst expectations of $1.1bn. The miss came as net interest income performed weaker-than-expected, slumping 12 per [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks take a dip amid tariff turmoil; Oil price soars February 24, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The good old safety net of London’s blue-chip index strikes again. The week kicked off with more tariff drama after Saturday’s announcement from President Donald Trump of a sweeping 15 per cent levy across the US’ trading partners. As cool heads prevailed in government – [...]
Entrepreneurs offer a plan to pull Britain out of the doom loop February 24, 2026 Entrepreneurs are problem solvers by nature, so we should welcome the fact that an esteemed group of them are turning their attention to the biggest challenge of our age: how to pull Britain out of the doom loop. Enterprise Britain launches today with a rallying cry to “reject the narrative of decline” and “reignite Britain’s [...]
Revolut: Inside Nik Storonsky’s $75bn fintech empire still waiting for its crown February 24, 2026 In Revolut’s shiny new Canary Wharf headquarters, the command ‘Get Sh*t Done’ is bolted onto the walls. The unconventional office mantra is a stark reminder of co-founder Nik Storonsky’s acerbic, straight-talking manner that has kept the gas pumping at the UK’s most valuable fintech since it opened for business in 2015. “Whenever a target is set, [...]
Ask the expert: How should I invest if I’m worried about an AI bubble? February 24, 2026 Fidelity personal finance specialist Marianna Hunt is back on hand to answer your burning questions. This week Marianna helps a reader who is fearful of a potential tech-fuelled stock market crash. Q:I’ve built up reasonable savings in my ISA, workplace pension and SIPP. Most of my investments are in global index funds, so I’m heavily [...]
Top entrepreneurs demand ‘radical reset’ in new campaign February 24, 2026 Britain is entrenched in a narrative of decline that can only be reversed with a radical political and cultural reset, a group of top entrepreneurs has warned at the launch of a campaign to improve the investment and trading environment for Britain’s fastest-growing companies. Spearheaded by Ovo Energy founder Stephen Fitzpatrick and Founders Factory chair [...]
UK firms ‘misallocate £10bn’ on HR departments, report says February 23, 2026 The UK’s human resources sector is twice the size of the EU’s and has led to firms misallocating as much as £10bn in capital, new research has suggested. A paper on the cost of diversity and equality agendas on businesses has argued that HR departments have grown at a disproportionate rate, with the UK having [...]
Reform vow to create new ‘wealth fund’ using pension schemes February 23, 2026 Reform UK has pledged to create a new “British Sovereign Wealth Fund” using local government pension schemes as part of Richard Tice’s first policy package as the party’s spokesman for business, trade and energy. Reform has vowed to wrap various arms of government, including housing and energy, into one office that focuses on growth, job [...]