Housebuilding boost as stamp duty ‘disruptions’ fade July 4, 2025 Housebuilding stopped the construction sector from crumbling as an increase in residential work in June was recorded for the first time in nine months, fresh data has suggested. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for construction showed the sector improved slightly from May, with the decline in total business activity at the lowest level since [...]
Rachel Reeves’ cash ISA plans would ‘choke mortgages’ July 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ plans to slash the tax-free cash ISA allowance “would be effectively choking mortgage availability” for those who need them the most, a building society’s CEO has said. Darlington Building Society was reacting to the news that the Chancellor is set to announce a lowering of the current £20,000 cap that savers are allowed [...]
Relief for startups as government U-turns on onerous Companies House rules July 3, 2025 Small businesses are breathing a sigh of relief after it emerged the government is set to U-turn on the introduction of new onerous Companies House rules. The new rules, which were due to come into effect in April 2027, would have required small and micro companies to disclose their profit and loss statements for the [...]
Women’s sport needs to convert online fandom into ticket sales July 3, 2025 With England’s Euros defence getting underway on Saturday, how does women’s sport convert online fandom into ticket sales? Attendances down, TV viewing figures falling, but TikTok and Instagram metrics up. This is the current state of engagement with women’s professional sport in the United Kingdom. Phone surfing can be monetised, but there is an urgent [...]
UK on track for biggest year of takeovers since 2021 July 2, 2025 The UK is on course for its biggest year of takeovers since 2021 as more and more companies exit the London stock market after being snapped up by private equity. As much as £74bn in offers was made to UK firms in the first half of the year, according to an analysis by Peel Hunt, [...]
Saving British Steel leaves taxpayers with £900m bill June 25, 2025 The government’s decision to take emergency control of British Steel is poised to cost the taxpayer just short of £1bn, according to initial government estimates, sparking warnings from opposition politicians that the Chancellor’s narrow fiscal headroom is in jeopardy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) expects the public finances to suffer a £900m hit from [...]
FCA reviewing bank risk appetite to boost home ownership June 24, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has said it will review lenders’ risk-taking in its bid to boost home ownership. The City watchdog said it was seeking a “public conversation” on the “future of the mortgage market” as it looks to support economic growth through an overhaul on mortgage rules. An update to “responding lending rules” was [...]
London won’t come close to 88,000 homes a year by 2029 June 24, 2025 London’s housing crisis exists on a spectrum, from the weary resignation of young professionals, first-time buyers and university students – to an acute, impossible state of affairs for those stuck in mouldy homes or unable to pay rent. Few disagree that a housing crisis exists, and few can find good reasons to lament the government’s [...]
John Textor plans to buy another English club after £175m Crystal Palace sale June 23, 2025 Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor plans to buy another English club after agreeing to sell his stake in the Premier League side to fellow American Woody Johnson. Textor has signed a legally binding deal to sell his 43 per cent stake in Crystal Palace to Johnson, the former US ambassador to the UK who owns [...]
Lord Darzi: Tech and global collaboration could save the NHS’s ‘critical condition’ June 20, 2025 The NHS is in ‘critical condition’ and in urgent need of reform, but technology and international partnerships, particularly with India, could hold the key to its recovery, said Lord Ara Darzi. “We have a lot to learn from our colleagues in India”, Darzi announced on Thursday at the India Global Forum. “They’ve done some really [...]