Municipal bonds could revolutionise Britain – but there’s a catch June 3, 2026 Municipal bonds could create genuine local economic autonomy. But they require infrastructural change to work, writes Tim Focas.
Freddie’s Flowers losses double after firm shuts London warehouse June 3, 2026 Freddie’s Flowers has incurred a more than doubling of its pre-tax losses after the firm closed its warehouse amid an outsourcing of operations. The London-based flower subscription business, which began operations in a gazebo in the garden of a residential street, posted a pre-tax loss of £2.1m in the year to August 2025, compared to [...]
This is why the City’s fintech IPO boom hasn’t happened yet June 3, 2026 Hopes remain high for a flurry of fintech listings, in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at whether this could come to fruition and what could be holding it up. City officials have pinned a hefty portion of their hopes for a London Stock Market revival on the nation’s fintech stars. Rachel Reeves [...]
Delaying estate planning could cost affluent Brits over £12bn June 3, 2026 Brits who are putting off dealing with their estate planning could lose over £12bn in preventable inheritance tax from April 2027, as more middle-income earners brace to be ensnared in the tax net. Families who are in the top decile of UK wealth who do not begin estate planning until they are 70 could fail [...]
Iran conflict could cause further decline to M&A, leading tax firm warns June 2, 2026 Merger and acquisition deal activity could see a further hit this financial quarter if the US and Iran do not reach a resolution to the conflict, a leading tax and accountancy firm has warned. The number of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions involving a change in majority share ownership fell to 352 [...]
Jobs crisis: UK unemployment to hit highest level in a decade June 2, 2026 Joblessness is set to hit its highest level in more than a decade as unemployment looks set to increase by 400,000 under the Labour government, according to a top business body. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warns of a softening labour market, driven by falling vacancies and economic uncertainty, with unemployment projected to rise [...]
Reeves warned Iran war oil shock will lead to government borrowing spike June 2, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that government borrowing is set to spike as a result of the Iran war as the Office for Budget Responsibility admitted it had underestimated the effects of the last energy price shock. In a review of its forecasting models, the OBR suggested it had learned lessons from Russia’s full-scale [...]
No ‘capacity’ for Ed Miliband’s warm homes plan, says British bank boss June 2, 2026 A UK banking chief has warned the government does not have the “capacity” to meet its ambition to transition millions of homes to low carbon-heating technologies. Nigel Terrington, the boss of specialist lender Paragon Bank, said Labour faced an “operational capacity constraint” in its bid to implement its warm home plan. The £15bn initiative, which [...]
Lime trialled fast-food lane that let Deliveroo riders bypass speed limits June 2, 2026 Lime has scrapped a trial that allowed Deliveroo riders to bypass speed restrictions on its rental e-bikes after questions were raised over the policy. The scheme, first reported by London Centric, gave riders using Lime’s new Delivery Pass access to areas where ordinary users would automatically be slowed down by the company’s “turtle mode” system. [...]
British American Tobacco shares slide as cigarette volumes decline June 2, 2026 British American Tobacco suffered a fall in share price in early morning trading, as investors opted to take profits despite updated revenue growth for the full financial year. Shares slipped 2.9 per cent to 4,447.3p, as investors ignored growth in its new category business and US momentum for declining cigarette volumes. Global cigarette industry volume [...]