By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Senior Reporter Maria Ward-Brennan is a senior reporter focused on law and professional services. Contact her via email on maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B

All 1368 Articles

Gatwick’s £2.2bn second runway to be challenged in court

Legal

Gatwick Airport’s £2.2bn second runway will be the focus of a legal challenge at the High Court on Tuesday, as an environmental group opposes the government’s decision to grant the approval. In September, Gatwick Airport’s second runway, the Northern Runway, received development consent from the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander. Gatwick has had a northern runway [...]
Zurich makes £7.7bn play for Beazley after FTSE 100 firm rejected first offer

insurance

Zurich Insurance Group has launched its second public pursuit of Lloyd’s of London prominent underwriter Beazley with a revised proposal at 1.280 pence per share, valuing the firm at just under £8bn. At the start of the month, Zurich privately submitted a proposal to the Beazley board to acquire 100 per cent of the company [...]
Judge refuses BHP permission to appeal landmark case

Legal

The High Court has refused mining giant BHP permission to appeal a ruling that found it liable for a dam disaster under both environmental law and the Brazilian civil code. The Melbourne-HQ’d group was sued in London over a deadly dam disaster in Brazil in 2015. Law firm Pogust Goodhead launched a group lawsuit in [...]

CVC and AIG forge landmark $3.5bn investment alliance

January 19, 2026

Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners announced a $3.5bn (£2.61bn) strategic partnership with American International Group (AIG) to support “long-term investment objectives”. As part of the agreement, announced on Monday, AIG will act as a ‘cornerstone investor’, a private equity secondaries evergreen platform, contributing up to $1.5bn from AIG’s existing private equity portfolio. This aims [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold soars as Trump’s tariffs threaten trade war

January 19, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It might be a new year but it’s the same issues controlling the global markets. The FTSE 100 closed last week one per cent higher than it started at 10,235.29p. But this came around 24 hours prior to President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff attack on [...]
AI-enhanced deception: The audit industry’s next big test

January 19, 2026

The audit industry has been under the microscope over the past few years following a number of high-profile corporate collapses, prompting stricter measures to restore public trust. And with the rise of AI-driven fraud, auditors will be under more pressure than ever to adapt to an evolving risk environment. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the [...]
Tough year ahead as businesses face compliance and investigation storm

January 17, 2026

A wave of complex regulations and cross-border probes is set to test the resilience of businesses worldwide in the coming year; at the same time, resource constraints expose vulnerabilities. A staggering 82 per cent of global businesses fear being hit by cross-border or multi-agency investigations this year, according to a new report by law firm [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil takes hit; YouTube, BBC strike deal

January 16, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. How big of a win was yesterday for Rachel Reeves? The economy grew 0.3 per cent in November – faster than expected – as Jaguar Land Rover roared back to life following a costly cyberattack that halted supply chains across the UK. But while this [...]
Nick Ephgrave announces surprise retirement from Serious Fraud Office

January 15, 2026

Nick Ephgrave will step down as director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) two and a half years before his first term was due to finish. The former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was appointed as the SFO’s director, taking over from Lisa Osofsky, who oversaw several errors during her tenure. Ephgrave was the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound

January 15, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]

UK businesses should prepare for ChatGPT ads now

Independent Football Regulator will use statutory powers to open club books

Top London restaurants to visit in January 2026

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

All 1368 Articles

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