Frontline MGA Factory Edition review: Best of British May 28, 2025 Blatting between overgrown hedgerows, past a village green and a country pub, the little MG seems energised by the sunshine that dapples its polished chrome and British Racing Green coachwork. This could easily be a scene from 1955, and the idyllic England that lives in our collective imagination. From the driver’s seat, though, it feels [...]
BGF’s £3bn pledge offers hope amid concerns over UK competitiveness May 28, 2025 The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has unveiled a £3bn commitment to back British businesses over the next five years which includes £500m earmarked for early stage start-ups in deep tech and life sciences. The organisation, which is one of the UK’s most prominent equity investors, has made the announcement at a pivotal time for the [...]
How to fix the housing crisis? We’ve told the government again and again and again May 23, 2025 I’m a London estate agency chairman – and I’m tired of talking about the same housing problems every month, writes Simon Gerrard.
Pepco to sell off Poundland business by September – for £1 May 22, 2025 Discount giant Pepco is set to sell its Poundland business by September as the brand struggles with high costs and low sales. In an update to markets this morning, Pepco said Poundland continued to see “challenging trading conditions” with revenue down 6.5 per cent in the first half of the year. The discount chain now [...]
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid 2025 review: Work, rest and play May 21, 2025 Book a Porsche press car and there’s a good chance it will be delivered by a Cayenne. The vehicles often travel inside a covered trailer, which is hauled to all corners of the UK by this particular workhorse. “I love them. They’re just so capable and comfortable,” says the driver as he unloads my showroom-fresh [...]
UK house prices continue to rise following stamp duty deadline May 19, 2025 Demand for houses has dipped following the end of first-time buyer relief on stamp duty, despite a cut in interest rates. House prices grew by 0.6 per cent in April, according to Rightmove, the lowest at this time of year since 2016. The number of new properties coming onto the market for sale is 14 [...]
Uncertain US tariffs put Rolex, Patek Philippe and Omega in a precarious position May 14, 2025 Swiss watchmakers are nervously awaiting a positive outcome for US-Switzerland tariffs negotiations to avoid throwing the industry into chaos. On July 1, Swiss exports in the US will be slapped with a 31 per cent tariff – that is, unless the country can negotiate a deal before then. “These tariffs… place the international watch trade [...]
Fund managers fear for the future of the London Stock Exchange May 12, 2025 Leading fund managers are warning that sentiment towards the London Stock Exchange is drastically low following a meeting with Downing Street to discuss the issue. Nick Lawson, chief executive of investment group Ocean Wall, described UK equity markets as being at “rock bottom” following a meeting with Varun Chandra, the government’s special adviser on business. [...]
Rightmove: Lower mortgages and browsing Brits boost property portal May 9, 2025 Property platform Rightmove has benefitted from a more optimistic housing market as mortgage rates fall, with buyer demand and property listings both up. The FTSE100 company, which is home to over 80 per cent of all consumer time spent on UK property portals, said new property listings rose nine per cent in the first four [...]
What the Bank of England’s interest rate cut means for your mortgage May 8, 2025 The Bank of England has reduced rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.25 per cent in a hotly anticipated cut that will leave homeowners with big decisions for their mortgage deals. The reduced cost for banks to borrow money will have broad implications for the mortgage market, as banks lower interest rates on loans. Major [...]