Keir Starmer hits back at Elon Musk on grooming gang claims January 6, 2025 Keir Starmer has hit back at Elon Musk today after a series of attacks from the Tesla tycoon over the government’s handling of historic ‘grooming gang’ sex abuse cases. In a press conference today, Starmer said an online debate about child sexual exploitation gangs was based on “lies” and those fanning the flames were not [...]
Tulip Siddiq: City minister referred herself to watchdog over property questions January 6, 2025 Tulip Siddiq has referred herself to the government’s standards watchdog over questions about her use of properties linked to the deposed Bangladeshi leader, Keir Starmer said. The City minister has come under increasing pressure after it emerged she had been given a London flat and lived in another property with links to her aunt, former [...]
UK firms shed jobs at fastest rate in three years amid payroll hikes January 6, 2025 Weak demand and higher payroll costs have led to the steepest decline in service sector jobs since January 2021, according to a new survey. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents reported a fall in workforce levels, while 12 per cent signalled a rise, data from the S&P Global UK Services PMI showed. “Service providers widely [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer snubs the City with New York IPO plans January 6, 2025 A Lloyd’s of London insurer has dealt a fresh blow to the City by snubbing the London Stock Exchange in favour of New York for its planned IPO, piling fresh pressure on the capital’s bourse after it shrank at the fastest pace on record last year. Aspen Insurance, an underwriting firm which operates out of [...]
Buy IAG and sell Wizz Air says broker as British Airways takes off January 6, 2025 Analysts have backed British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) while warning investors away from budget airline Wizz Air in 2025. Panmure Liberum analysts picked IAG shares as their ‘most preferred’ stock within transport, with a target price of 500p compared to its current 287p share price. IAG was the best performing FTSE 100 [...]
Brits buy 50m Aldi mince pies as budget grocer hails ‘best Christmas ever’ January 6, 2025 Aldi has recorded its best festive season ever in 2024, with sales topping £1.6bn in the month before Christmas. Sales at the grocer grew 3.4 per cent year on year, while its seasonal offering rose 10 per cent and its premium range jumped by 12 per cent compared to 2023. Aldi UK’s chief executive officer, [...]
Rolls-Royce shares slip following broker downgrade January 6, 2025 Rolls-Royce shares dipped more than three per cent in early deals this morning after analysts at investment bank Citi downgraded the stock. The analysts downgraded the FTSE 100 giant from a ‘Buy’ to a ‘Neutral’ rating while increasing the price target from 555p to 641p. Despite the stock currently sitting at 576p, the analysts said [...]
Trufin: Balatro poker craze boosts finance company to profit January 6, 2025 Financial services firm Trufin is set to announce an adjusted profit before tax “significantly ahead of market expectations” thanks to its video game arm publishing the indie hit Balatro. Trufin is now preparing to report its first ever full year profit, a year earlier than had been expected. While the group is primarily known as [...]
Rail regulator orders HS1 to slash spending on Eurostar route January 6, 2025 The Office of Rail and Road has ordered HS1 to lower its spending from April 2025, after finding it did not meet its duties for efficient spending. The 109km high-speed rail line was ordered to bring charges down by 3.8 per cent compared to its latest plans, saving passengers and freight trains as much as [...]
Business confidence slumps in ‘pressure cooker’ of higher taxes January 6, 2025 The British Chamber of Commerce's quarterly survey showed that 63 per cent of firms cited tax as a worry in the final quarter of last year, up from 48 per cent in the third quarter.
