Watch out, Burnham August 5, 2026 Looking for an insight into the kind of person Andy Burnham really is? You could do a lot worse than checking his wrist, says Andy Blackmore. If you think it’s been a long time since we had a hip PM, think no longer, for the new inhabitant of No10 wears his credentials on his wrist. [...]
Next hikes targets as heatwave boosts sales August 5, 2026 Next has upgraded its profit targets for the year after breezing past second quarter expectations, putting its shareholders in line for a bumper payday. The FTSE 100 retail giant hiked its pre-tax profit expectations for 2026 to £1.24bn, around £25m higher than previously estimates. If achieved the figure would mark 7.3 per cent growth on [...]
Where are Andy Burnham’s economic advisers? August 5, 2026 Andy Burnham’s allies boasted that highly-regarded economists had been lured as advisers. Mauricio Alencar and Ali Lyon report on the non-appointments of some of Britain’s best economists – and what the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s new teams look like. In the end, all it took was a few rumours. In the weeks leading up to [...]
Big bank bosses on alert as tax noise gets louder under Burnham August 5, 2026 Banks have delivered booming profits for the first half of the year. In this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at how the calls for a tax rise on the sector will get louder under the new Prime Minister. “The saxophones are getting louder” is the internet’s new saying to depict growing anxiety. If you [...]
Domino’s battles for slice of fried chicken market as revenue jumps August 4, 2026 Domino’s has scored a World Cup boost from its bet on fried chicken, as the recovering pizza delivery chain looks to draw in new customers. The FTSE 250 pizza chain said the World Cup and its new ‘Chick’n’dip’ range drove a six per cent jump in revenue to £825m in the six months to June, [...]
What are we to make of John Healey? Time will tell. August 4, 2026 Who exactly is in charge of this government’s economic policy? In a bid to find out, I’ve tasked two of our journalists to hit the phones, mooch around the bars of Whitehall and track down Westminster’s new power brokers. I’ll let you know what we find out, but he fact that the answer to this [...]
Jonathan Reynolds’ industrial strategy is straight out of the 60s August 3, 2026 Jonathan Reynolds, the new business secretary, has set out a vision for publicly owned services, with private sector partnerships, still under public control – a baffling vision from some eccentric economic bestiary, says Eliot Wilson Andrew Murray Burnham has been in Downing Street for two weeks now. He promised – new Prime Ministers always promise [...]
Britain needs a Marshall Plan for civic life July 31, 2026 The “Marshall Plan for Civic Life” proposes a multi-billion pound, multi-year investment fund, supported by a collaborative effort between citizens, the state, philanthropy, and the private sector, say Polly Curtis and James Plunkett Andy Burnham needs to find money for defence. He needs to find money for social care. He needs to find money for [...]
AngloGold Ashanti Q2 30 June 2026 Earnings Release and Dividend Declaration July 31, 2026 Q2 2026 EBITDA*(5) +46% to $2.0bn • Q2 2026 free cash flow* +36% to $727m • YTD free cash flow* $1.9bn • Q2 2026 interim dividend of $364m, or 72 cps • Proposed $2.0bn share repurchase programme approved • Net cash*(5) of $991m after debt buyback
‘It’s going to impact work’: Lloyds to cut £2bn in costs with AI July 30, 2026 The boss of Lloyds Banking Group is preparing to wield the axe on its cost base as the bank doubles down on AI ambitions. Charlie Nunn, the chief executive of the financial services giant, said AI is “going to impact work” and “require us to reskill people and hire new people” as he revealed a [...]