UK only replaced a third of public investment since leaving EU, think tank warns September 14, 2023 The UK has only been able to replace a third of public investment – and just an eighth of infrastructure investment – since leaving the European Union (EU), a think tank has warned. EU funding of £146bn over 46 years had supported crucial infrastructure schemes such as the Channel Tunnel, the Thames Tideway Tunnel and [...]
Twitter owner Elon Musk to be invited to government investment summit August 22, 2023 Twitter owner Elon Musk is among top business leaders expected to be invited to Rishi Sunak’s global investment summit this autumn. Tesla boss Musk – who recently bought and renamed Twitter as X – is among figures including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who officials are keen to see attend the summit, according to Sky News. [...]
UK firms asked to disclose China investments as Sunak mulls trade curbs August 21, 2023 A host of British firms have been asked by the government to hand over information on their investments in China, as the UK looks to take stock of its business ties to the state amid increasing geopolitical tensions. The government confirmed today that a survey was sent to a number of UK firms last month [...]
Insurers back Bank of England Brexit Solvency II reforms and new investment push June 30, 2023 Insurers welcomed proposals released yesterday detailing potential post-Brexit reforms to the EU’s Solvency II regime. The EU’s Solvency II regime imposed rules on how much capital insurers had to hold and where it could be invested. Plans to reform the regime were announced last year and are designed to unlock billions in capital from the [...]
Private funds expect incoming ESG regulations to boost sector – but UK will trail US and EU May 30, 2023 Private investment firms in the UK think incoming ESG regulations will boost sector but funds worry divergence from global norms could harm progress. According to research from PwC, 59.1 per cent of Limited Partners (LPs) and 58.0 per cent of General Partners (GPs) surveyed believed incoming regulations in the UK targeting ESG would have a [...]
Over half of businesses confident turnover will rise in the next year despite current stagnant sales April 4, 2023 Most firms have seen no boost to sales this quarter despite rising levels of confidence, a key economic report has revealed, as inflation remains the key concern for business. The British Chamber of Commerce’s (BCC) quarterly economic survey (QES) found in spite of rising optimism, only a third of firms saw sales increase in the [...]
Business charm offensive: Reeves discusses investment plans at meeting with Lloyds, Aviva, L&G and British Land March 14, 2023 Labour’s business charm offensive is continuing as shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to discuss plans to boost investment. Keir Starmer’s Labour has positioned itself as the ‘party of business’ as it aims to exploit the Conservatives’ reputational hit following the economic chaos of Liz Truss’s calamitous mini-budget. Reeves will discuss plans to boost business [...]
Liberty Global buys five per cent stake in Vodafone claiming shares are undervalued February 13, 2023 Telecoms giant Liberty Global has bought an almost five per cent stake in Vodafone after claiming shares in the troubled firm are undervalued. Liberty’s purchase of a 4.92 per cent stake in Vodafone comes as a vote of confidence in the British company, as it struggles to satisfy investors. The phone operator’s share price [...]
Executive pay rises should not outstrip staff salary bumps, Aviva warns February 5, 2023 Aviva Investors has warned company directors that it would be “inappropriate” to award themselves bumper pay rises and urged them to recognise that record high inflation puts far greater pressure on the budgets of their frontline staff. In a letter to the 1,600 firms in which it has stakes, including many in London, the fund [...]
Asset managers show signs of rebound as assets tick up and outflows slow January 18, 2023 London-listed asset managers Liontrust and Rathbones showed signs of a rebound today as assets under management ticked upwards and the volume of investors pulling their cash from funds began to slow. London’s big money managers have suffered a torrid 12 months as markets descended into turmoil in the wake of war in Ukraine and soaring [...]