Bargain basement Britain: Tech takeovers continue with three billion-pound swoops in a day June 9, 2025 The frenzy of UK tech takeovers showed no signs of slowing down on Monday after three separate billion-pound M&A moves were made within hours of each other as US tech giants continued their hunt for British bargains. First to announce a move on Monday was London-listed semiconductor firm Alphawave, which confirmed it had reached an [...]
Alphawave reaches deal on Qualcomm takeover June 9, 2025 Alphawave is poised to become the latest tech firm to quit the London Stock Exchange after reaching a $2.4bn (£2.8bn) deal to be acquired by Qualcomm. The British semiconductor business said its board would now recommend to shareholders the terms of the acquisition after weeks of talks, which began in April. The cash offer of [...]
Rachel Reeves may have to ‘revisit’ manifesto tax pledges to meet fiscal rules, economists warn June 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to tear up Labour’s manifesto tax commitments to meet her tight fiscal rules, economists have warned, as the Chancellor battles to balance the books amid calls for higher spending on defence and welfare. A suite of new day-to-day spending commitments made by the Treasury in recent weeks, including reversing cuts to [...]
‘A tax burden without precedent in the 21st Century’: Pub chain McMullen’s blasts government tax hikes June 6, 2025 One of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at the government’s “damaging” tax hikes, warning they will lead to lower demand and investment and have forced the hospitality sector to “bear the brunt” of rises in government spending. Hertford-based McMullen’s, which operates around 120 pubs in London and the home counties, including the Old [...]
Will the Bank of England’s quantitative tightening torpedo Reeves’ fiscal rules? June 5, 2025 Rachel Reeves is in a pickle. At under £10bn, the Chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal headroom – the Treasury’s wiggle room within its fiscal rules – is already wafer-thin by historic standards. And it is under intense strain, given a recent slew of billion-pound government spending pledges such as reversing winter fuel payments cuts and scrapping the [...]
Exec behind Lloyds mass affluent push quits within days of launch June 4, 2025 A Lloyds exec behind the bank’s push to attract “mass affluent” customers has departed within days of the launch of its new service. Jo Harris, who has been with the FTSE 100 bank for more than a decade, would be leaving at the end of the month, according to an internal memo seen by the [...]
CAB Payments turns to New York to revive fortunes June 4, 2025 The London fintech behind the “worst IPO of the year” in 2023 is seeking to revive its fortunes with an expansion to New York after it secured a licence to operate in the US. CAB Payments told markets on Wednesday that it has received approvals from the Federal Reserve and The New York State Department [...]
Ninety One: Asset manager hopeful of ending years of outflows June 4, 2025 Ninety One was hopeful of ending years of fund outflows after the FTSE 250 firm recorded a positive second-half performance. The asset manager, which is based in London and Johannesburg, has recorded only a single year of net inflows since its 2020 flotation after clients pulled a combined £25bn from the firm. But on Wednesday, [...]
British Steel braces for fresh Trump tariff blow June 3, 2025 The British steel industry is gearing up for the hammer blow of fresh US tariffs after Downing Street could not confirm that steelmakers would be exempt from the levies. The UK government unveiled a trade deal with the US last month, under which metal exports would be exempted from punitive tariffs. But negotiations on the [...]
OECD: Rachel Reeves’ ‘insufficient’ fiscal headroom poses risk to UK economy June 3, 2025 The OECD has warned Rachel Reeves’ wafer thin fiscal headroom poses a significant risk to the UK economy as it cut its growth outlook for Britain in 2025 and 2026. The economic organisation urged the Treasury to “step up” efforts to bolster its “very thin” fiscal headroom, expressing concern that it could cause “significant downside [...]
