As it happened: Ministers resign as gilt yields at 28-year high Markets The Westminster political drama rocked the bond markets with gilt yields surging to a 28-year high. The yield on 30-year gilts surged 13 basis points on Tuesday to hit 5.8 per cent. It comes as nearly 80 Labour MPs have now called for the resignation of the Prime Minister and reports suggest numerous members of [...]
Vodafone says UK merger is ‘ahead of plan’ as boss bets on mega multi-brand strategy Telecoms Vodafone said it is “building momentum” as the telecoms behemoth pushes further into the British market following its £4.3bn VodafoneThree deal and signs of stabilisation in Germany. The FTSE 100 telecoms group reported better-than-expected annual revenue of €40.4bn (£35bn) for the year to March, up from €37.4bn last year. Meanwhile, pre-tax profit slipped slighty to [...]
Vodafone takes full control of Three in £4.3bn deal Telecoms Vodafone is to take full ownership of Vodafone Three for £4.3bn in the latest twist in the blockbuster merger between two of Britain’s largest mobile networks. The FTSE 100 telecoms giant said it will buy out the 49 per cent stake held by CK Hutchison, the Chinese owner of Three, to give it full control [...]
Vodafone set for £85m court showdown with ex-franchisees March 26, 2026 An £85m court battle between Vodafone and its former franchisees will kick off on Thursday over claims the telecoms giant imposed cuts on franchises which left managers facing closures and bankruptcy. The 62 ex-franchisees pursuing a civil action against Vodafone – recently renamed VodafoneThree – will launch their case at the High Court for the [...]
No retail redundancies after Vodafone-Three merger, boss says ahead of shop closures February 5, 2026 There will be no forced redundancies of retail staff following Vodafone’s acquisition of Three, the firm’s chief executive has said, as the telco giant gears up to find hundreds of millions of pounds of cost savings from the tie-up. Vodafone chief executive Margherita Della Valle, who spearheaded the bumper £16.5bn merger shortly after taking the [...]
Is Microsoft becoming the new Vodafone? December 11, 2025 America’s biggest tech firms – Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google – have thrown the kitchen sink at becoming leaders in AI. They have forked out whatever is necessary to get to the front of the race. The four firms spent a combined $16bn on capex in the first quarter of 2020. Fast-forward to the third quarter [...]
Vodafone chief shakes off Budget gloom as shares jump November 11, 2025 Vodafone’s chief executive has said the forthcoming Budget is “not a big thing for us” after the telco defied wider economic gloom to deliver a dividend hike. The FTSE 100 firm said it saw 1.2 per cent growth in the UK in the six months to the end of September, while Germany, a key market, [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Vodafone shares lead blue-chip rally; Unemployment rises November 11, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. What are you looking forward to more – Black Friday or Budget day? They are two vital days that UK retailers are bracing for in this month’s calendar, both of which can provide a major boost to firms – or crushing disappointment. Retail sales today show another [...]
UK telecom giants sign new pact to block scam calls as AI drives fraud November 5, 2025 Britain’s biggest mobile networks have agreed to overhaul their systems to stop scammers using fake numbers to impersonate banks and government departments. As ministers seek to stem the growing tide of AI-driven fraud, BT, EE, Vodafone, Three, Virgin Media O2, Sky, TalkTalk and Tesco Mobile have signed a new telecoms charter with the Home Office. [...]
Vodafone boss faces renewed backlash over £85m franchise dispute July 29, 2025 Former franchisees accused telecoms giant Vodafone of driving small business owners to the brink at its annual general meeting on Tuesday, amid a deepening £85m legal dispute over its former retail partner model. At the meeting in Newbury, several claimants involved in the lawsuit directly challenged chief executive Margherita Della Valle and chairman Jean-François van [...]