Brewdog sale: what next for the craft beer giant? March 3, 2026 Brewdog’s bars sat empty on Monday, lights off and beer taps dry, as weeks of frenzied anticipation over the sale of the craft beer titan built to a head. It quickly became clear on Monday afternoon that many of those bars would never see another punter walk through their doors. For the venues lucky enough [...]
Universal handed £6m of taxpayer cash to film Hamnet despite raking in profits of £810m February 27, 2026 American filmmaking giant Universal was handed a £5.7 million government subsidy to make period drama Hamnet even though the studio generated £810 million in profit last year. The blockbuster’s cost to taxpayers is revealed in filings for the film which won the coveted honour of Outstanding British Film at the Baftas on Sunday. The heartbreaking [...]
Politicians and voters must wake up to reality of a zero growth economy February 25, 2026 The past six years have been the worst period for growth in normal peace time since the start of the Industrial Revolution over 200 years ago, says Paul Ormerod The latest estimates from the Office of National Statistics show virtually no growth in the size of the economy in the period October to December 2025. [...]
Takaichi’s gamble paid off, but can she keep investor interest high? February 18, 2026 Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, roared to victory last week in the biggest landslide election win in postwar history, with voters encouraged by her pledges to revitalise the tired economy. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 seats, more than two-thirds of seats in parliament’s lower house, granting the prime minister a ‘super-majority’. [...]
UK fintech Zempler Bank snapped up for less than half previous valuation February 12, 2026 London-based fintech Zempler Bank has been snapped up by Nigeria’s biggest bank in a deal that has slashed the firm’s valuation, City AM can reveal. The small business lender – formerly known as Cashplus – has been acquired by The Access Bank UK with a price tag of around £3.45p per share. The sale represents [...]
Lib Dems would scrap Treasury for ‘Department for Growth’ February 11, 2026 The Liberal Democrats have laid out plans to scrap the Treasury department if elected in favour of a ‘Department for Growth’. Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader and Treasury spokeswoman, said on Wednesday took aim at failed government economic policy and said the Treasury “does too much”. “Fiscal policy, economic policy and controlling government spending. [...]
Reasons to be cheerful in an age of extraordinary technological progress February 11, 2026 Headlines are dominated by the oncoming AI apocalypse. The 21st century, far from being an age of decay, may prove to be the most creative and constructive period in human history, says Madsen Pirie We are told that the world is in irreversible decline. Newsfeeds deliver a daily diet of disasters, wars, fires, floods, political [...]
Households to pay more for BBC TV licence, government confirms February 6, 2026 Households across the country will see their bills rise after the Labour government increased the TV licence fee that funds the BBC. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said on Friday that the annual levy will be increased to £180 from 1 April. This marks a £5.50 yearly increase. The move follows rules brought [...]
Majority of landlords to hike rent due to Reeves’ tax raid February 6, 2026 The majority of landlords increasing rents blamed Rachel Reeves’ new tax on property income from April next year, a survey has shown. According to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), two thirds of landlords (65 per cent) raising prices over the next year cited the government’s plans to charge a two percentage point tax rate [...]
New Years optimism wears off as economic expectations drop February 4, 2026 New Year’s optimism is beginning to fall away with the number of people expecting the economy to improve this year falling at the start of February. According to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters, the number of people expecting the economy to improve in the next 12 months has fallen by four [...]